


Wrong Choices, Right Choices

by Plantgal19



Series: Choices [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Battle of Hogwarts, Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, F/M, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Mental Health Issues, Original Character(s), Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, Romance, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:28:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 62,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28090149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plantgal19/pseuds/Plantgal19
Summary: Draco Malfoy has always been the boy who made the wrong choices. At the start of his sixth year, Draco is dealing with the consequences of those choices - and the effect they have on him - when he meets a transfer student from Ilvermorny.Melanie Stewart came to Hogwarts for a fresh start. When she meets Draco Malfoy, she finds a kindred spirit in someone else who knows what it feels like to be alone. And then, the tide on choices begins to turn.[Starts in Half-Blood Prince]Part 1 of Choices Series
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s), Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Series: Choices [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2057874
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	1. The First Night

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Home to You](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/726840) by plantgal19. 



> Hello! This is a fic that I've been writing for a long time and am so excited to share. Please note that this is based on another fic I wrote (Home to You, published on Wattpad), that I decided to rework to be more true to the character of Draco Malfoy, and I rewrote my lead OFC to be someone that he'd connect to. Then it really expanded into this whole universe, so this will be part of a three part series (lots of which I've already written!) I'd love any feedback as this is still in flux, so please drop me a note below :)
> 
> Note: I do have a lot of chapters saved up, since this fic is completed. I'll be posting every other day for now, though I will post the first few chapters together!

It was approaching midnight, but Draco couldn’t sleep. The start of his sixth year at Hogwarts was the last thing on his mind as he paced the castle halls. The next morning, he would begin his penultimate year at Hogwarts, but the normal sixth year activities like studying for OWLs, winning the Quidditch Cup and spending time with friends were low on the priority list. Instead, this would be the year he had to kill his headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. He’d been skating along on the periphery of the Death Eaters since getting his Dark Mark and official induction during the summertime. Although both he and his father had tried to prolong the process, it couldn’t wait any longer. The Dark Lord was beginning to doubt the loyalty of the Malfoy family, which could not be tolerated. And so, without his true consent, he had been marked - for life - as a Death Eater.

Now, only a few short months later, the Dark Lord had given him an assignment that made Draco sick to his stomach. He had bragged to his friends on the train about how Voldemort had entrusted him with a big task - and broken Harry Potter’s nose - in order to maintain the alpha status he felt he must maintain. Otherwise, the other Slytherins would see him for what he was - a fraud, terrified and unwilling to follow in the footsteps of his parents. The thought was with him wherever he went - the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Movement outside brought him out of his self-pitying trance.

A thestral had pulled up to the gates, pulling a small covered carriage. In the dark of the night, Draco could barely make out Snape stepping out of the carriage with a girl he did not recognize. Snape, strangely, patted her shoulder and disappeared into the night, while the girl approached the front door and stepped into the light. She looked nervous. Wanted to avoid human interaction, Draco tried turning and walking quickly in the other direction, but soon saw Mrs. Norris heading towards him and cursed audibly. Not feeling up to an interaction with Filch, he made a 180 degree turn and found himself face to face with the girl from the hallway.

He towered over her, which he hoped would intimidate the girl enough to make her walk away, but instead she glanced at him and smirked. She had long, thick dark hair, which fell in waves over her shoulders. She wore a black jumper and ripped dark jeans, which clung to her curvy hourglass figure that even someone as depressed as Draco could appreciate. Her eyes were huge - he thought she looked a bit like a doll - and a bright glassy blue, and rimmed with black eyeliner, which matched the color of her nails. Despite her obvious attempt at looking tough, she was tiny, probably only 5’2, and she was beautiful. A smattering of freckles covered her face, from her forehead down to her pink, full lips - which Draco realized were moving.

“What is this, the welcome wagon?” she asked, her American accent surprising him. “I’ll be honest though – you don’t look very cheerful.” He allowed himself a small smile.

“While I have no idea what a welcome wagon is, it doesn’t seem like something I want to be part of,” he drawled. “Just a prefect, doing some nightly rounds.” That, of course, was a lie. But even though he was deep in this black hole, he was still a sixteen year old boy, and he found himself wanting to show off a bit. “I’m Malfoy. Draco Malfoy.”

“Are you James Bond or something? Introducing yourself with your last name first?” she scoffed, a hint of a smile on her face.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Draco asked, confused. She stared at him.

“Wow, Muggle culture and Wizarding culture are really separate here, aren’t they? It’s a movie – about a spy.”

“Why would anyone care about a Muggle movie?” Draco asked, rolling his eyes.

“Clearly, you wouldn’t know because you’ve never seen it,” she replied. “I’m Melanie Stewart.”

“So what house are you in?” he asked.

“Yours, I think,” she said, and without warning she reached over and touched the front of his robes, moving them gently to reveal his house logo. Draco’s stomach fluttered, and he was surprised at her boldness. He supposed American girls were different – that’s what he had heard, anyway. “Slytherin.”

“Guess we’ll be dorm-mates then. Lucky you,” he said, grinning, and was secretly pleased that she’d be sleeping mere feet from him.

“I have to say, this castle is massive and extremely confusing. Snape pointed out the general direction of things, but I have no clue where I’m going,” she said, looking up at him with those big blue eyes.

“Well, considering I’m not sleeping anyway… would you like a tour?” he asked, feeling awkward. He rarely spent time with strangers, and hardly offered a favor to anyone. She agreed and they started into the Great Hall, Draco pointing out the Slytherin table. “So, Melanie Stewart… why are you here and not in America? Did your family move?”

“No, actually, my parents died last year,” she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, and revealing several silver earrings. She said it matter of-factly, not looking for pity, which Draco appreciated. “After that, I just wanted a change. Something different. So my headmaster recommended that I transfer here. He sent Dumbledore an Owl and here I am.” She glanced at him quickly and then back at the walls of the castle, and Draco could tell that she was nervous about how he would react. Despite her exterior, she wasn’t as tough as she looked. But then again, neither was he.

“Well I’m glad you didn’t come here for the education, to be honest. This place is a mess,” he said, and she bit her lip and smiled. “So the kitchens are here... and then this way we have the Quad. On each side, you have staircases leading you to the Gryffindor tower – which I’d avoid at all costs, if I were you, and to the Owelry. On the other side of this bridge, you have the classrooms, the Astronomy tower, and the other House Dormitories. Downstairs, you have the dungeons – where we live. Outside, we have the Black lake - Giant Squid, wouldn’t recommend attempting a swim - the training grounds for Quidditch and the actual pitch, the Greenhouses and then the forest.”

“Well that’s not intimidating in the slightest,” she said, with a small laugh.

“You’ll figure it out, I’m sure.” He said, pausing slightly. His tour was over, but he didn’t want the night to be. “So do you play? Quidditch?”

“I don’t,” she confessed. “For my many talents, I’m not very coordinated.” She paused, and Draco’s mind ran wild, thinking about what those many talents could be. “I suppose you’re the Quidditch star, then?”

“I’ve played every year… but not this year,” he admitted. “I have a lot on my mind.”

“I know the feeling,” she said, and they locked eyes, sharing a moment of understanding. Draco broke the contact first.

“Well, here’s the dungeons – the password is Waning Crescent,” Draco said, and the doors opened to the Common Room. Mel looked around.

“Not to be rude, but it looks positively evil in here,” she said, and Draco laughed. “What house did I get put in exactly?”

“The only one that matters. Once you meet the others, you’ll realize the only tolerable people at this school are in Slytherin.” In the silence, she looked at him expectantly – but for what, he couldn’t quite place. “Well, the girls' dorms are on the left, boys on the right – you’ll be the second floor from the top.”

“Thanks for showing me around,” she said, turning to go upstairs. “I guess I’ll see you in class tomorrow.” He watched her climb the staircase, feeling silly as he realized how careless he’d been over the past hour or so. Walking a girl around the castle, laughing – flirting, even. He didn’t have time for this. And yet… it’s not as if he was looking for a girlfriend, and he did snog someone new just about every week – he was just adding her to his list. It was harmless.

The next morning, he awoke after yet another night of terrible sleep. As he walked to the Great Hall for breakfast, Blaise nudged his arm.

“Did you see there’s a new girl? Our year. And she’s bloody hot. Kind of looks like an evil supermodel.” he said, glancing over at Melanie, who sat in the middle of the Slytherin table, chatting with Pansy as if they’d been friends all their lives. Her hair was slightly damp from the shower and she had on a new set of Slytherin robes, but her dark eyeliner and nails remained.

“I met her last night,” Draco said, not taking his eyes off of her. Blaise groaned.

“How is it you get to everyone first, Malfoy? Seriously. There’s not one attractive girl left in this castle that you haven’t snogged.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Zabini. I haven’t snogged her – yet,” he said, with a devilish grin, and Blaise groaned again. They slid into the table across from Pansy and Nott, their normal crowd.

“Guys, this is Mel – she’s from America.” Pansy said, overly excited.

“Take a breather, Pansy – you sound like you’re about to have an asthma attack,” Blaise said.

“Sorry – sorry. It’s just… Mel is actually cool? We don’t have anyone cool at this entire school. And yes, that includes you lot,” she said. Mel’s cheeks flushed, but she looked pleased. Draco couldn’t help but stare at the way her complexion slowly got pinker. “This is Theo, Crabbe, Goyle, Flint, Blaise and Draco,” Pansy said. “Though I’d be wary of the last two.”

“Draco and I met last night, actually,” Mel said, and Draco felt almost embarrassed at the memory. But he still couldn’t tear his eyes away from her.

“Draco, no.” Pansy said, eyes narrowed at him, noticing the way he was looking at her.

“What?” Draco said, feigning innocence, and Pansy rolled her eyes.

“Oh, you know exactly what. Absolutely not.” Mel looked confused, but said nothing. He and Pansy had come a long way – from her intense crush on him to their short-lived relationship, they both decided they were better off as friends. However, his habit of bedding every girl in the Slytherin house – and beyond – had left her without many female friends. “What’s your schedule like, Mel?” Melanie pulled out a piece of paper and Draco saw small, neat writing detailing her classes – they were in all of the same ones. “Oh, you’re still taking Potions? I gave up on that years ago,” Pansy said. “We do have Transfiguration first. Are you lot coming?” she asked, while the boys mumbled about wanting to finish eating. Pansy got up, and walked to the classroom with Mel in tow.

Nott whistled. “Now that is something to make this year more interesting,” he said, grinning. “I kind of like the whole dark look she has going. And I’ve heard American girls are absolutely wild.”

“Okay, let’s hold off on talking about how wild she is until she’s been here at least a day,” Draco said.

“You mean at least until you’ve snogged her first,” Blaise said, and Draco grinned.

“Correct.”

They finished eating and walked to the classroom, Draco rolling his eyes as he realized their first class was with the Gryffindors. He saw Potter, Granger and Weasley towards the front, and made his move to sit near the back – until he saw Pansy and Mel up front as well, on the opposite side. He motioned to Blaise, and they slid into the desk behind them, Blaise looking exasperated.

“Draco, I didn’t know it was physically possible for you to sit anywhere but the back row,” Pansy said, equally fed up with Draco.

“What can I say, Pans? I’m feeling very focused on my studies this year,” he said, boldly meeting Mel’s eyes. She was clearly not one to back down from a challenge, and didn’t look away until he was finally forced to.

“Good morning, sixth years,” Professor McGonagall said, stepping up to the front of the room. She began a lesson on turning a candlestick to a cauldron though Draco wasn’t paying attention, as usual. Except instead of the thoughts that usually ran through his head – thoughts about the Dark Lord, of killing Dumbledore, of the Mark on his arm that burned – Draco wondered about how it might feel to have his hands in Melanie’s dark hair, his lips pressed against hers. The daydreams were interrupted by McGonagall stepping in front of him and leaning down to speak to Mel.

“Miss Stewart – I’m Professor McGonagall. It’s a pleasure to meet you and have you in class. I’ve spoken to Professor Dumbledore about you and I hear you are quite a talented witch. I know you didn’t finish your entire fifth year, so if there’s something you need help with, please don’t hesitate to ask me, or ask one of your classmates. In fact, it seems Mr. Malfoy is already very interested,” Professor McGonagall said, glaring at him, and Draco realized he’d been both eavesdropping and staring very obviously. Mel turned around and raised her eyebrows, and he felt embarrassed, turning to his book instead.

“Thanks Professor, I’ll be sure to ask – although I hope I’ll be okay. Transfiguration is my favorite subject,” she said, and with a wave of her wand matching the movement on the board perfectly, her candlestick became a gleaming cauldron. Professor McGonagall looked extremely pleased.

“Looks like you’re more than capable. That is most impressive – ten points to Slytherin,” she said with a smile before walking away. Pansy and Blaise gawked at her.

“Okay – how did you do that?” Pansy asked.

Mel took Pansy’s wrist and helped her make the motion with her arm, and described what she thought of when she did the spell. Afterwards, Pansy tried it – and successfully turned her candlestick into a cauldron as well – although hers was misshapen, and a bit waxy. She squealed. “Mel! I am terrible at Transfiguration – I think that’s the first time I’ve ever successfully done anything in this class.” Blaise, after a few more attempts, tried the way Mel had described it as well, and also completed the task. The three stared expectantly at Draco.

“I don’t need help,” Draco said defiantly. He looked around the room, where everyone else was struggling with the task – even Granger looked frazzled. He kept trying for the remainder of class, struggling to do more than turn the candlestick black. In front of him, Mel and Pansy sat – sometimes watching him flail, sometimes chatting. Mel was also continuing to practice, though the task was done. Draco watched with frustration as she somehow changed the color of her cauldron from black to deep green.

“Okay, so you are ridiculously smart and cool? That’s not fair,” Pansy said.

“Not smart enough to finish your fifth year, though,” Draco spat hatefully, feeling his inferiority complex flare.

“Jealousy isn’t becoming, Draco,” Mel said lightly, though Draco could tell she was both hurt and embarrassed. McGonagall dismissed the class, and Mel darted out of the room, leaving the three of them behind. Pansy looked at him with disgust.

“Why did you do that? Honestly, if you are trying to snog her, that is not the way. You can be a real idiot sometimes,” she said, before leaving as well.

Draco felt dangerously close to being out of control – he stalked out of the room and up to his usual hiding place – the Astronomy Tower. He stared out at the grounds, regretting both his actions in class and his entire existence. He gazed downwards at the ground, and absentmindedly wished he had the courage to leave this place – this terrible place – and start over somewhere else. But that was impossible. He pushed the thoughts away, but they were always there, lingering. He turned back and headed downstairs, and as he entered the stairwell he ran straight into Harry Potter.

“Watch it, Potter,” he snarled, descending the staircase. He had a few moments to himself, and then it was time to head to Potions. He entered the dungeon, and saw Mel chatting with Granger, of all people. He approached them, and the girls fell silent. He ignored Granger, and instead stared at Mel. “Hi.” She stared back at him.

“Hi,” she said, and waited for him to say something else, though he stayed silent. She sighed and turned back to Granger. “I’ll catch up with you later Hermione. We can meet in the library to do the Transfiguration work.” Granger nodded, staring at Draco as she walked away.

“You’re hanging out with Granger?” Draco asked, rolling his eyes. “Merlin.”

“She seems nice,” Mel said, shrugging. She entered the classroom and slid into a seat. Draco sat next to her. “I’m surprised you’re sitting with me, considering you just bit my head off.” Draco felt embarrassed again, and looked into her blue eyes – which didn’t look hurt, just curious and a bit stony.

“Look, I just lost my temper – it didn’t have anything to do with you,” he said.

“That was a shitty apology,” Mel said, but when Draco looked at her she was smiling. “At least I’ve heard you’re better at Potions than anyone else in the class.”

“Let’s hope,” he said. Snape wasn’t the Professor this year, and instead it was Horace Slughorn – a mess of a man who was explaining the details of a potion they’d need to complete. Mel and Draco began to quickly split the steps, neither of them saying anything for a while. “So, has it been okay? The first day?”

“Yeah, it’s been good,” she said. They paused again.

“Why didn’t you finish your fifth year?” Draco asked bluntly.

“Because my family died, and I was depressed. Seriously depressed,” Mel said, not looking up from the herb she was cutting. “I didn’t want to go back, honestly. I tried to go back, but it was awful. My headmaster let me do independent study for the rest of the year.” Draco looked down at the table.

“Well, now I feel like a complete ass,” he said. Without thinking, he gently touched her shoulder, and she looked up at him. “I’m really sorry,” he said.

“Now, that was a better apology,” she said, small smile on her face. “Except now you’ve made us over boil the potion – we’re not going to win the Liquid Luck. Which is unfortunate, because somehow I feel like we could both use it.” Her eyes glanced down at Draco’s hand, which he realized was still on her shoulder, and he removed it quickly, and then took the potion off the heat. Mel chatted to him absentmindedly throughout the class, and when Potter won the liquid luck, he didn’t even really mind.


	2. Seen

Two nights later, it was past midnight when Draco returned from his usual walk around the castle, trying to quiet his mind. When he opened the common room door, he found Mel sitting by the fire, book in hand.

“You can’t have that much homework yet,” Draco said, sitting in the armchair opposite her. He was struck by how soft she looked, sitting in the warm firelight. She was wearing a large sweatshirt and a pair of plaid pajama pants, and her face was free of the usual makeup.

“No, just reading,” she said. “What are you doing up?”

“I don’t sleep well,” Draco confessed, surprised at his own vulnerability. “So I just walk through the castle for a while.”

“I don’t sleep much at all,” Mel said, not looking at him, but into the fire instead. She looked down, suddenly looking slightly embarrassed. “I didn’t know anyone else would be awake. Hence the pajamas.”

“I like them,” Draco said, and he felt the urge to slide himself in next to her, but he kept his distance. “You look nice.” He cursed internally – _you look nice? Who was he?_ She turned back toward him.

“Why are you so different during the day?” she asked. Those blue eyes seemed to stare straight into his soul. 

“One can only be a prat for so long,” he said, and she smiled. “It’s a bad habit, I know.”

“It’s okay. I can tell you have a lot on your plate,” she said, picking her book back up. Taking note, he stood up to go try to fall into a restless sleep. “Draco?” she said, and he turned back towards her. “Next time you go for a walk, you should let me know. I’ll be up.” He nodded, and smiled to himself as he ascended the staircase to his room. He still couldn't sleep. But at least he could lie awake thinking about her.

“Feel like going for a stroll?” Draco said, returning to the common room one night. It was 1AM, and he’d been laying awake for hours. He found Mel in her usual spot – sitting by the fire.

“Sure,” she said. Seeing her at night, without the makeup, felt like a hidden personal view that only he got. He didn't know why he enjoyed it so much. “Where do you have in mind?” They walked up to the astronomy tower, where they sat on the roof – their knees just barely touching. “This is nice.”

“It’s quiet. Sometimes there are students doing their homework up here, but only until 11. After that, it’s all mine,” he said, gazing out at the quiet grounds.

“So,” Mel said, glancing over at him, her earrings glinting in the low light, “why can’t you sleep?”

“That’s a rather personal question.”

“I know,” she replied, and they locked eyes.

“There’s a lot of pressure on me this year,” he said finally. “My family is one of the oldest wizarding families in the UK. They also have some… dark associations. My Father was in Azkaban for a year,” he said. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”

“Because you know I won’t tell anyone,” she said softly, and he knew it was true. It felt nice to say it out loud. There wasn't anyone he could talk to about this, not really. He had his friends, but he didn't know how to bring it up. They'd known him too long, already had a specific view of him. With her, it was easier. He had a clean slate. 

“Anyway, they want me to follow in his footsteps. There’s also just a lot of pressure to maintain my reputation at this school. It’s just… too much.” She didn’t say anything, just let him breathe, marinating in the truth of his words. Their shoulders touched. “I’ll ask you the same – I think you sleep less than I do.”

“It’s been quite a year,” she said, an empty look on her face. “It’s only been a few months since my parents died in January. Afterward, I tried to go back to school for a week or so, but it felt impossible. The girls who had been my friends didn’t know what to do with me, neither did my boyfriend. I ended up talking to my headmaster, who let me stay near the castle alone, studying and just submitting some of my work. I tried to stay in touch with my friends, and my boyfriend, but I was just… different, I guess. So they ostracized me, and Brian – my boyfriend – broke up with me. And I was just… alone. Until I came here.”

“That’s terrible,” Draco said. “I know what it feels like to be alone,” he said quietly.

“I don’t feel alone now,” she said, leaning against him ever so slightly.

“Yeah,” he said finally, not knowing how to respond.

“You’re hard to read,” she said.

“I could say the same thing about you,” he replied, and she smiled.

“Guess that’s why I like spending time with you,” she said.

“Um, yeah. Me too,” he said, struggling. She noticed, but blessedly didn’t comment. “Well, I think I’m going to try to sleep for a few hours,” he said, not wanting to ruin the moment in any way. It was too good.

Draco didn't know why, or what had overcome him, but he came to the conclusion that he was utterly entranced by Mel Stewart, and he didn't like it. He'd tried to fight it for the few weeks that she'd been at school, but it was useless. Her easy laugh, her piercing eyes - he couldn't get enough. And so, like a regular sap, he decided to do the noble thing and ask her on a date.

“Mel,” Draco said, taking her arm after Potions a week later. “I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmede with me this Saturday.” She looked up at him with those baby blue eyes.

“Yeah, I’m planning on going,” she said, evading his question.

“No, I mean – do you want to go with me. Like, just the two of us,” he said, feeling nervous.

“I actually told Pansy that I’d go with her, and then I’m planning on meeting up with Ginny for a bit as well. So I think I may be kind of busy,” she said, not meeting his eyes.

“So… you’re saying no?” Draco asked, his stomach sinking.

“That is correct,” she said.

“Wait,” he said, feeling confused. He pulled her to the side of the corridor. “I thought… I thought you liked me.”

“I do like you,” she said simply.

“So why don’t you want to go out with me? Are you… I mean, do you prefer girls these days?” he asked in a low voice. She rolled her eyes.

“No, Draco, I do not prefer girls. I just… don’t want to go on a date with you,” she said, and disappeared into a crowd of students, leaving him feeling embarrassed, angry and rejected.

When he entered the common room later that night and Mel sat alone by the fire, he quickly turned to go upstairs.

“Draco,” Mel said softly, and he stopped. “Can we talk for a minute?” He glanced sideways – it was late, but it wasn’t that late.

“Come here,” he said, and she stood up and followed him. He grabbed two of the throw blankets off the couch, and they climbed the stairs to the Astronomy Tower. He climbed up to the roof, and handed her a blanket, which she wrapped around herself before sitting down.

“I’m sorry about before,” she said. “I can tell you’re hurt.” He said nothing for a while.

“I’m not used to being rejected,” he admitted. “And I just thought…”

“You weren’t wrong,” she said softly, looking at him. The overwhelming urge to kiss her overcame him, and he leaned in, but she put her hand on his chest. “Stop, Draco.” Feeling embarrassed yet again, he quickly leaned away from her, but she placed her hand on top of his.

“What then?” he asked, frustrated, face pink. "You like me, you don't like me - I'm at a loss."

“I just… don’t have a lot of friends right now. Here, or anywhere. I’m just afraid that as soon as I give you what you want, then I’m not going to able to be around you, or Pansy, or Blaise. Once you’re… done with me.”

“Mel, that’s not –“

“I’ve heard the rumors,” she said quickly. “I’m not an idiot. I know who you are.” That stung.

“Yes, I know what I’ve done in the past. I’m not insanely proud of it, okay? But I’m not going to be done with you,” he protested, although he didn’t know if that was the truth.

“You don’t know that. We’ve only known each other for a few weeks. I just can’t risk it, okay? Last year was really, really bad. I like it here. I want to be able to keep liking it here.” She looked so sad, and he leaned in again, but this time he wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

“Okay,” he said, and she relaxed in his arms.

“Please don’t tell anyone about this,” she said with a small laugh. “It’s pitiful.”

“Well, I don’t want anyone else finding out about this either. First, that you rejected me, and second, that I hugged you. We’re not a bunch of Hufflepuffs. This stays between us,” he agreed.

Draco felt all of the blood rush to his head when he saw Potter talking with Mel in the hallway before Potions. She was smiling – laughing, even – and he looked pleased as well. When she slid into the bench beside him, he was sure that there was anger radiating off of him.

“Hey,” she said, pulling her thick hair back into a ponytail, revealing both the piercings that he loved and the smooth, creamy skin on her neck. He flushed, and said nothing. “Someone has a bee in their bonnet today,” she quipped lightly.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Like – something’s upsetting you. You know, you wouldn’t be very happy if there was a bee in your bonnet.”

“Saw you talking to Potter before,” he said, beginning to grind down the ginger root they’d be using that day, slowly pulverizing it. She rolled her eyes, smirking a bit.

“Oh, so you’re mad I was talking to him?”

“We don’t get along.”

“That’s putting it lightly from what I’ve heard,” she said. “Do I detect a hint of jealousy?” She leaned closer to him, and he could smell her perfume – floral and intoxicating.

“Obviously,” he snapped, and couldn’t help but notice how pleased she looked.

“Please, Draco. I am not interested in Harry Potter. First of all, Ginny Weasley is absolutely mad about him and she’d hex me senseless if I tried anything. And second, he’s not really my type,” she said with a shrug. “These days, I prefer more of the dark, brooding type. Like someone else I know.” He said nothing, just continued preparing their potion.

“You baffle me,” he said finally, and he meant it. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do with this new information – not ask her out or try to kiss her, apparently. She merely laughed and placed a gentle hand on his palm. From the front of the room, Draco watched as Potter turned around, gave them a quick glance, and turned back to his cauldron.

They continued to grow closer, and though Mel spent her days with Pansy and occasionally Ginny or Hermione, every night was spent with Draco, when neither of them could sleep. They’d sit in different areas of the castle, avoiding Mrs. Norris, and often ended up on the Astronomy tower.

“I can’t believe you spend so much time with Granger and Weasley,” Draco said one night, as they leaned against the stone wall of the Astronomy tower, gazing out at the stars.

“You know, at Ilvermorny it wasn’t like this. We spent time with students from other houses – other than just to sleep with them,” Mel said, with a pointed glance. He raised his palms in defeat, and glanced at Mel, brushing a stand of hair behind her ear, stopping to gently touch the three silver hoops.

“Draco,” she said, and he put his arm around her shoulders instead. Suddenly, there was a noise behind them – it sounded like someone bumping into something. Without hesitation or even verbalization, Mel had her wand out and quickly fired a stunning spell in the direction of the noise. Although there was nothing there, there was a thud as someone hit the ground, and Mel could see only a singular sneaker. She looked at Draco worriedly, but he was fuming. Mel walked over and cautiously felt near the sneaker, and felt a piece of fabric that she couldn’t see. “What the hell,” she murmured as she pulled it, and Harry Potter appeared.

“Invisibility Cloak,” Draco said, a murderous tone in his voice. Mel put her hand up, blocking him.

“Draco, cool it. Seriously. Go stand by the window – I don’t trust you,” she said, glaring at him. Picking up her wand again, she freed Harry from his frozen state. “Harry? What are you doing up here?”

“I – um – Draco is always up here at night. I wanted to see if he was up to something,” Harry admitted.

“No, we just like to come up here at night. It’s nice to see the stars,” Mel said, and Harry had a realization as he looked at Malfoy’s slightly pink face.

“Oh – erm, sorry for intruding, I guess. Just… you know who he is, right? What he is? I have to keep an eye on him,” Harry said, eyes steely.

“Ginny told you about my parents, I assume?” Mel asked. Harry nodded.

“I’m really sorry, Mel. They did the same to my parents – which is why I’m keeping an eye on Malfoy.”

“What I’m saying, Harry, is that if he’s with me, you know none of that is going on, right?” Mel said, and Harry nodded.

“Okay. I’ll… leave you to it,” he said awkwardly, and disappeared.

“Why did you let him leave?” Draco asked angrily.

“I was having a nice time up here. I didn’t want him to ruin it,” she said, looking at her black nails. Draco ran a hand along her shoulders and she shivered.

“Mel… what did you mean about your parents?” Draco asked slowly, realization dawning over him. She was quiet for a moment.

“My parents and my brother were killed last year when a group of Death Eaters attacked the resistance in my town. They weren’t part of it, they were just in the wrong place, at the wrong time.” She did not look at him. Draco swore.

“So why are you spending time with me, exactly?” Draco asked.

“Well, I think you’re different. I hope,” she said, and he could see in her eyes that she was afraid. Filled with a sudden burst of… something – something indescribable, he took her shoulders, turned her toward him, and slowly began to roll up the sleeve of his jumper. Staring at both of them, in the moonlight, was the Dark Mark – a blemish on his pale, perfect skin. He looked at her face, expecting to see disgust or fear, but he saw nothing of the sort. Cautiously, she lifted her hand to his wrist, and trailed her delicate fingers over the Mark. He let out a hiss of air at the unfamiliar sensation. Neither of them said anything – she simply stared at it for a while, and he watched her. “Did you want it?” she asked.

“No,” he answered honestly, his voice cracking a bit.

“Do you believe in it all?”

“I used to,” he said. “But not anymore. I’ve seen horrible things – done some horrible things. My father was in Azkaban, and my mother…” he trailed off. “Taking this Mark was the only way to protect her.” Their eyes met.

“I believe you,” she said. He squeezed her hand tightly.

“Let’s go to bed,” he said tiredly, feeling like all of the energy in him had been sapped. She nodded, but didn’t let go of his hand, and they walked back down together. Once inside the common room, they stopped in front of the fireplace, and Mel leaned into his body, her head on his chest. She looked up at him, and their eyes met – baby blue and light gray. He wanted to kiss her, to be closer to her, but he knew that this wasn’t the right time, and so he ran a hand through her hair and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. They parted without another word.


	3. Beginning

The next day – Saturday – Mel had gone to a Quidditch match with Pansy, while Draco stayed in bed to pout. He ran through the night over and over again in his head – the way her hands had felt on his bare skin, the look of understanding she’d given him. Then he thought about how worthless he felt that her parents were dead in part because of him. Not directly, but still. He wanted to close his eyes and fade away into nothingness.

“Done pouting? We’ve won, you know,” Blaise said, appearing in the doorstep with a grin. “Party happening in an hour – so you better get out of your pajamas.”

“Not going,” Draco said, without looking at him.

“You may want to rethink that, because I heard Flint talking about how he’s planning on making a move on Mel tonight,” Blaise said, and Draco felt a rush of heat through his chest.

“Okay – fine,” he said, pulling himself up and into the shower, fueled only by anger at the thought of Flint’s hands on Mel’s hips.

“You’re alive,” Mel observed as Draco walked down the stairs. She was leaning against the wall, wearing tight blue jeans, a black jumper and a Slytherin scarf, making his heart beat a little faster. He wondered if it might be too much to hope she had been waiting for him.

“I wasn’t planning on getting out of bed, to be honest, but I heard a rumor that Flint was going to make a move on you tonight. So here I am,” Draco said.

“Jealous?” Mel asked, and Draco could see a glimmer in her eye. He smirked at her.

“Maybe, what’s it to you?” he asked.

“Maybe you should get me a drink first,” Mel said, and his cheeks burned as he grinned at her. Filled with something that felt somewhat like hope, he went to the bar and poured Firewhiskey into two cups. When he walked back, Flint was stalking away from Mel, looking angry. Draco handed her a cup and raised his eyebrows.

“What’s his problem?”

“Well, he did in fact come over here. And I may have just dropped your name in conversation about a hundred times. He took the hint,” she said, and Draco was floored. He wondered what had gotten into her, but he wasn’t complaining. The party picked up, and the lights turned off, and they were joined by Pansy, Blaise and the rest of the group. Mel stuck close to him, her body warm against his side, and it was all he could think about. He wasn't even sure if a conversation was going on around then, to be honest. Finally, he couldn’t hold back any longer, and wound his arm around her waist, his hand resting low on her hip. She didn’t move it, instead leaning in to his chest.

Pansy looked at Draco and gagged, though Draco could tell that she didn’t mean it. Couples began to break off, pressing against the walls of the room to kiss, disappearing to dark corners to do more than kiss. Draco bit his cheek as he felt Mel’s hand creep up his jumper, her hand resting on the bare skin of his lower back. He looked down at her, and she smiled wickedly at him. He grabbed her hand and a bottle of whiskey off the table, and the he pulled her up the stairs, into the Astronomy tower. She laughed as he took a swig of the bottle and passed it to her, and she did the same.

“You are… so different right now,” he said grinning.

“I’ve gotten so soft since I got here… telling you my secrets, talking about feelings,” she said, and he noticed how close they had gotten. “Don’t you just want to have fun? I feel like we could both use that. You make me happy,” she said, and wrapped her arms around his waist. It was all the permission he needed, and he leaned down to evaporate their difference in height, pushing her into the stone wall of the tower and crushing his lips into hers. He could feel her smiling and couldn’t stop thinking about how perfect it felt, finally kissing her after thinking about it for weeks.

“Mel, is this okay?” he asked, quickly pulling away from her.

“Of course, you idiot,” she said, and they picked back up where they left off. Draco pushed his body close to hers, their chests touching, not caring if she could feel his arousal. He pushed his knee in between her legs and she moaned quietly, making him curse. He picked her up off the ground, and she wrapped her legs around him. He carried her into the classroom nearby, locking the door behind them, and placed her down on one of the tables. Immediately, her hands were on him, underneath his shirt, on his chest.

“You’re killing me here,” he groaned, and in response she took his hands and moved them to her body. He vaguely thought to himself that it was the hottest thing he’d ever seen, and then he was kissing her neck, making marks that he hoped all of the others who leered at her would see, saying that she was spoken for. They stayed like that for what felt like hours, kissing and touching, until Draco made a move to remove her shirt and she hesitated. He stopped, returning instead to gently kissing her neck and lips until he pulled back and looked at her. “Should we go downstairs?” he asked.

“Is that okay? I want to – I really want to – but I don’t want to do everything in one night,” she said with a smile.

“That’s for the best – I don’t think my heart could handle it. Might just give out,” he said. He looked at her perfect lips, now swollen, and her mussed hair and the marks on her neck. “You are so insanely beautiful.” She looked into his eyes and his heart flipped when she reached for him and brought his face closer, kissing him slowly. She fixed her jumper and stood up from the table.

“Do I look ok? I don’t want anyone to think we’ve been… you know,” she said.

“Totally fine,” he lied. “Are you okay? That wasn’t… too far, was it?”

“That was just far enough,” she said. He looked at her quizzically, and she rolled her eyes. “No, I’m not a virgin – been there done that – but you’re my friend. I don’t want to jump into something quickly and then make it awkward.” Draco snorted.

“Somehow, I don’t think it will be awkward,” he said, and kissed her again, loving the way her body felt. “Okay, let’s go down, I suppose.” He refused to let her hand go, and they stopped a few more times to kiss in the hallway before finally making it back down to the Common Room. She moved to walk up her set of stairs, but Draco pulled her back. “Come in with me – for just a few minutes. Everyone will be asleep.”

“Draco! No way,” she said, laughing.

“Please? We’ll put up a silencing charm. Maybe we can both relax enough to actually fall asleep,” he said. She thought about it, and then, most likely because she was still a little drunk from before, agreed, the two of them creeping into the dormitory, sliding into Draco’s four-poster bed and closing the curtains, putting up a silencing charm. “Believe me, you’re not the only girl in here tonight,” Draco said, grinning. He pulled her close to him. “This feels so nice,” he said. He pulled off his jumper, leaving only a thin tshirt between them, and slid off his pants.

“What are you doing?” she hissed.

“Getting ready to sleep?” he said innocently. She glared back.

“Two can play at that game,” she said, and in horror he could feel her sliding off her jeans.

“No – Mel, wait, I’m not going to be able to sleep at all,” he protested, instantly turned on by the feel of her bare, smooth skin against his.

“That’s the point,” she said, grinning. She rolled on top of him and they were kissing again, his hands running up and down her body. He glanced down. “Oh, Merlin. You have a tattoo on your thigh? So sexy,” he said, groaning.

“I give up,” she said, her hands running down Draco’s bare chest. “Let’s not have sex. But I can’t just…sleep in this bed with you.”

“Are you sure? You can go back to your dorm if you want,” he said.

“I don’t want to,” she said, “do you want me to?”

“Of course not, you idiot,” he said huskily, before rolling on top of her. He pulled her shirt off, marveling to himself how gorgeous she was. Then he was touching her everywhere, and she was looking at him with glazed eyes and making sounds that drove him crazy. And then she was under the covers, and his hands were in her hair until he cried out her name and they fell together.

“Mm,” Mel said, her face on his chest.

“That was…” he said, unable to even finish his sentence. She kissed him lazily, and they curled up under the covers together, falling asleep finally, together.

Draco woke up warm, which he found was mostly due to the girl asleep on his chest, the feeling of her smooth skin next to his. Then he realized they were both in his bed, and sunlight was streaming through the window behind them. He shifted, wondering what time it was, and how embarrassing it was going to be when they emerged from his bed.

“Oh, shit,” Mel said, waking up and glancing at Draco. “I kind of thought that was a dream.”

“A good one, I hope,” he said, and she smiled and rolled her eyes.

“A good one, yes. Except for the fact that it is definitely not early and the common room is going to be packed.”

“It’s fine – lots of others in our position this morning,” he said. “But while you’re here,” he said, leaning into her and kissing her deeply, enjoying the feeling of her hands in his hair.

“Oi! Malfoy – your silencing charm only lasts for a few hours – when are you going to remember that?” Blaise shouted from outside of the curtains, and they froze, Mel glaring accusingly at Draco. She grabbed her clothes and quickly began pulling them on. Draco cast another silencing charm.

“Wait – don’t go yet,” he tried.

“God, I’ve been at this school for a month and I’m already waking up in your bed. Great reputation I’m forming. Everyone must think I’m such a slut,” she said, pulling her jumper over her head. Once she pulled her head through the sweater, Draco was immediately there, holding her face in his hands.

“Hey – don’t talk like that. We did nothing wrong – plus, everyone in this house is a lot more accepting of it, I promise. They might give you a little shit for it, but they don’t judge. I promise you.” She still looked unconvinced. “Mel – this might come as a surprise to you, but I actually like you. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being with someone you really like.”

“You like me? You’re so soft,” she said, and he pushed her into the pillows while she giggled. “I just like you for your body. Obviously. Okay, I should probably go back over. Pansy is probably wondering where I am.”

“If she’s not in this room – I’m guessing in Nott’s bed – I will be shocked,” Draco said. Sure enough, when Draco and Mel emerged sheepishly from his bed, Pansy was sitting with Nott, waiting for them.

“God – I have been waiting for you for hours, Mel, seriously,” Pansy said, rolling her eyes. “Merlin, Draco – did you actually have to do that to her neck? Come on.” Draco snickered a bit, but stopped when Mel gave him a look that could kill. “Here, I’ll fix you up,” Pansy said, and performed a quick Glamour spell on her. The bruises vanished, and Mel sighed in relief. “Let’s get out of here. Too much testosterone for me. Bye, boys,” Pansy said, before leading Mel out of the room. Mel glanced back at Draco, who grinned at her and gave her a small wave before he disappeared from view.

“Oh god,” Mel said, as the younger students looked at them with interest as they exited the boys’ dorms.

“Just ignore it,” she said, and dragged Mel into her bed. “Okay, so tell me everything.” Mel cringed.

“Isn’t he like… your ex? Isn’t that weird?” she asked.

“It’s not weird,” Pansy said dismissively. “That was ages ago.” Mel relayed her night to Pansy, who was deeply intrigued.

“I didn’t intend to sleep there – or get naked for that matter – but it just kind of… happened,” Mel said.

“Draco kind of has that effect. It’s because he’s just really fit,” Pansy said, and Mel laughed.

“God, he is,” Mel said.

“He likes you, you know,” Pansy said. “I can tell. He doesn’t act this way with the other girls – just you.”

“We’ll see about that,” she said. “Shoot – I need to shower and then meet Ginny in the library,” she said, and quickly got ready. She managed to meet Ginny on time, and found she wasn’t alone, but rather with Ron, Hermione and Harry. “Oh hi, everyone. I didn’t realize you’d all be here.”

“Have you met my brother, Ron yet?” Ginny asked, and quickly introduced them. They began studying, Ron and Harry doing more goofing off.

“Y’know, it’s interesting to meet a Slytherin who isn’t terrible,” Ron said, and Mel smirked.

“They’re really not terrible. Just particular,” she said, thinking of one specifically.

“Pansy Parkinson is actually kind of nice,” Ginny offered. Ron rolled his eyes at her, and Mel turned back to her essay. She looked up a few minutes later to Harry Potter staring at her intently. “Mel,” Ginny hissed. “Tell me why it seems like you may have a rapidly fading Glamour charm on your neck covering a series of large bruises?” Ron snorted, and Hermione turned redder than Mel, who gripped her neck.

“Oh, fuck. Does anyone… know how to do one?” she asked miserably. Ginny quickly shot a spell across the table, and Mel sighed in relief. “Thank you. Well, that’s embarrassing,” she said.

“Why do you know that charm?” Ron asked Ginny, bewildered, who refused to meet his glance.

“I hope those are from some random Slytherin, Mel, and not –“

“They’re from Malfoy, aren’t they?” Harry asked. “You’re sleeping with him.” Mel found it hard to lie to him as she’d been in Draco’s bed only a few hours before.

“He’s actually not that bad,” Mel said lamely, and the rest rolled their eyes, groaning. “Look – I know you guys have this massive thing between you, and I’m not going to try to defend either side, but it’s not like that between us. We get along really well, actually.”

“Because he’s trying to sleep with you. Or I guess has been successful in sleeping with you,” Harry said. Her eyes flashed.

“What, so you think there’s no other reason for him to want to spend time with me other than because he wants to have sex with me? Classy, Harry. You know, I don’t think like all of you. Clearly. Things aren’t as black and white as you think they are,” she spat, gathering her books quickly and storming out, feeling anger pulse through her. She quickly retreated to the Slytherin common room, sitting down on an armchair in a huff, her anger scaring away a few younger students. She pulled her work back out and began to study, which was where Draco found her a few hours later.

“Hi,” he said, reaching down for her hand, and frowning when she didn’t take his. “Everything okay?”

“I’m just mad,” she said. “I was studying with Ginny before, and I didn’t know the other three would be there, and they saw the bruises – they basically told me I was an idiot for sleeping with you and that the only reason you’re around me is for sex. So that was lovely,” she said. Draco’s face turned stormy.

“Harry bloody Potter. Kid thinks he knows best about every single thing on this planet,” Draco said. “I’ll take care of it,” he said.

“No! Hey, that’s what he wants – to be able to paint you as their villain. Don’t let them.”

“But I can’t let them talk to you like that,” he said, frustrated.

“Why not?” she asked, amused.

“Because, you’re – well, I don’t know, but you’re with me in some capacity, and I don’t need Potter giving you shit for that. Or anyone, for that matter,” he said.

“Oh, so you think because we hooked up once, I’m with you?” she asked playfully with a smirk. Not nearly as playfully, he leaned down and kissed her, hard, in front of the rest of the common room.

“Yes,” he said seriously, and sat down next to her, hand on her thigh. He pulled out his essay and they worked like that for a while, curled up, until they went outside for dinner. They sat with Pansy, who taught her to do a Glamour spell in exchange for Mel doing her nails every week, because “hers just didn’t come out as well.”

“Better to just invest in some turtlenecks if you’re going to hang around with Draco,” Blaise said grinning, and Mel rolled her eyes, though Draco’s hand was on her leg under the table. She caught Harry staring at them from across the room, so she leaned in closer to Draco, brushing his hair away from his face and refusing to look at Harry again.

“Are you guys going to be couple-y and gross?” Pansy asked, watching them. Mel snorted.

“Hardly. Harry’s watching, and he’s annoyed,” Mel said, refusing to make eye contact with the Gryffindor still and making Draco laugh. She was her own person, yes, but she also complimented him well. This was going to be fun. 


	4. Missteps

“You’re late this morning – up late dreaming about me?” Draco asked, as Mel descended the girls’ staircase, hair still damp from the shower.

“You wish,” she said, rolling her eyes, though she grinned when he grabbed her face and kissed her before they walked to breakfast. It had only been two weeks since they’d first hooked up, but Draco couldn’t get her out of his head. They were sitting together in their classes, which made it very hard for Draco to focus – instead, he spent his time thinking about how she smelled or how good it felt when her warm body brushed up against his. He hadn’t ever been this way with someone before, and he didn’t like it, but he was helpless. As they walked to the Great Hall, he quickly grasped her wrist and pulled her into an empty corridor, and into a hidden corner, and kissed her long and slow. “We have class in a half hour,” she said, smiling. “And you don’t want me to be uncaffeinated.” 

“But I just want you – period,” he said, pressing himself into her. She breathed in deeply and wrapped her hands around his neck.

“Well, you’re going to have to wait,” she said, pulling away and lightly kissing him one more time. “Let’s go eat breakfast together,” she said, grasping his hand and holding it close. He groaned but followed her through the corridor, and into the Great Hall. As soon as they entered he dropped her hand, and she looked at him quizzically but said nothing.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see the day when you got soft, Malfoy, but here we are,” Blaise said, as they sat at the Slytherin table for lunch later that day.

“What are you talking about, you numbskull?” Draco sneered, filling his plate.

“I’m talking about you making moony-eyes and whispering sweet nothings to Mel,” Blaise snickered. “Holding hands, morning kisses – should we prepare for the wedding soon? Will Lucius be walking you down the aisle?” The other boys laughed at his expense.

“Please, it’s not like she’s my girlfriend,” Draco said, feeling threatened. “She’s the fittest girl at this school – and what Nott said about American girls being wild…” he said with a shrug as his friends laughed.

“So you wouldn’t mind if I…spent some time with her, then?” Blaise asked. He was baiting him, but the thought filled him with rage.

“Obviously I mind,” Draco said in a low voice. “I don’t like sharing – especially not with the likes of you, Zabini.”

“Yeah, whatever,” he said. Draco watched with guilt and fear as he watched Mel walk into the Great Hall with a few other students after class let out, and head towards the Slytherin table.

“Hey guys,” she said, sliding in next to Draco. “How was Divination?”

“Fine – what does it matter?” Draco asked.

“Just asking,” she said, looking confused. “So, do you want to work on the Potions essay after dinner, before we hang out?” she asked, touching Draco’s knuckles with her fingertips. Draco heard Blaise snickering and moved his hand away.

“Can’t you see I’m busy right now? Why don’t you just wait in my room, in my bed for me – that’s what you’re waiting for, isn’t it?” Draco said suggestively, and his friends laughed. He waited for the flash of anger in her eyes that he feared, but her face was impassive instead.

“You know what? I think I actually have plans tonight – something less… disappointing. Guess your right hand is going to have to suffice,” she said offhandedly, before getting up and leaving the hall. Draco felt sick – and not just because she’d embarrassed him.

“She is something,” Nott said, watching appreciatively as she walked away.

Draco was in a state of desperation when he approached Ginny Weasley in the Great Hall later that evening.

“Weasley – have you seen Mel?”

“Why are you talking to me?” she asked, glaring. “I don’t know – probably the library.” He nodded and quickly walked to the library. He was frustrated that she was avoiding him, and angry about the embarrassment earlier that day. But he also missed her. He wanted her near him. He walked up and down a few aisles until he saw Mel sitting at a table. But she wasn’t alone – she was with Dean Thomas, who Ginny had recently broken up with, and who was looking enthralled to be sitting there with her. Mel, for her part, looked like she’d forgotten their argument earlier that day, smiling and laughing at something Dean had said. Draco felt a mixture of emotions – anger, guilt, frustration, regret – and quickly fled before anyone could see him.

He waited for her in the Common Room, and she got back late.

“We need to talk,” he hissed, and quickly dragged her into the empty Potions classroom, locking the door behind him. “What were you doing with Dean?”

“Just studying,” she said. “Why do you care?”

“Because… you know why,” he said.

“No, I don’t. Especially if you’re going to treat me like shit in front of your friends, and try to hide what’s going on with us.”

“Are you actually mad about earlier?” he asked.

“Of course I am. That was really cruel,” she said. “You know, I don’t need to be spending time with someone who is embarrassed or ashamed to be seen with me. There’s a lot of other guys here who are interested.”

“Oh yeah? Why don’t you go ahead and see them, then? No need to waste your time on me,” he said bitterly.

“Stop doing that! Acting like a jerk. Because I don’t want to, and you know that, and you don’t want me to be with anyone else either. I want to be with you, but you’re making that very difficult for me right now.”

“Wait – you want to be with me?”

“It’s almost like I like you,” she said, with a small smile on her face. “But that doesn’t mean that I’ll let you treat me like that. That was not cool.”

“What about you?” he said furiously. “Talking to me like that in front of everyone, going to the library and flirting with Dean Thomas, of all people.”

“You can’t take what you dish out,” she said. “I want to be with you, but that doesn’t mean I’ll bend to your every will.” He sighed, frustrated, running his fingers through his hair.

“Okay,” he said, grimacing a bit. “Now can you come here please?”

“Okay?” she asked, ignoring him. “That means that you don’t hide it from your friends, and you don’t talk about me like that.”

“Okay,” he repeated. “It’s… worth it. You’re worth it.” She grinned, and finally put her lips on his, pressing her body into hers. Although Draco had never been with someone who’d given him this much grief, he liked the way it felt to fight for her. To know that her feelings toward him were genuine, and weren’t based on his name or his reputation. He kissed her hard, running his hands through her hair, pushing her down against the potions desk and quickly starting to remove her clothes.

“Someone’s eager,” she said, kissing his earlobe and making him groan.

“Well, I can’t have reviews out there that I’m disappointing, can I?” he said, beginning to touch her slowly. She moaned.

“You know I was just kidding,” she said breathlessly.

“Never hurts to be sure – now, would you say this is disappointing?” he asked, as she gasped.

“God, no.” She gripped his shoulder hard, running her fingertips up and down the side of his face.

“I think I should stop – I don’t want to be a disappointment, honestly,” he said, and she moaned again.

“No, please don’t stop.”

“Then tell me your real review.”

“You’re fucking amazing,” she said, and he began touching her again. “Never been with someone this good,” she said. He felt a sense of satisfaction he didn’t normally get and pulled her up into his arms.

“I like it when you get like that,” he said lowly, and she kissed him hard. He sat on the edge of the potions table, and she began to take off his belt. “Merlin,” he groaned as she touched him.

“See what happens when you’re nice to me?” she asked, and he nodded. Whatever was going on between the two of them – it was too good to stop, and he had no intention of doing so.

They walked into the common room afterwards, and Draco forced himself to keep his hand on Mel’s no matter how unnatural it felt.

“Ah, kissed and made up, did you?” Blaise drawled. He sat in an armchair near the fire with a few of their other friends.

“Yes,” Draco said, refusing to meet his eyes, as the group laughed a bit.

“Good – Malfoy’s always more bearable when he’s getting laid.”

“Are you, Blaise?” Mel interrupted, her eyes big and innocent. Draco watched with interest. “Getting laid?” Nott started to laugh but then bit his tongue quickly.

“What – want to get in line?” he sneered.

“No,” she said, making eye contact with Draco, making him feel another rush of satisfaction. “I’m good. I was just… worried, you know. As a friend. I think some of the girls in Ravenclaw are looking for boyfriends – Luna Lovegood comes to mind. I think she’d definitely be interested. Don’t give up hope!” She turned to Draco, who was grinning. “Night,” she said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

They quickly became inseparable, which frightened them both in a way, because they weren’t prepared for it. All through October, they took classes together during the day and studied together in the library, and stayed up during the night, talking and kissing. Draco was still struggling with depression – it didn’t just go away, and neither did his problem of killing Dumbledore – but Mel was understanding and left him alone when he needed it.

“Today, we’re going to be doing something very exciting – a partner swap! Isn’t that wonderful,” Slughorn said, grinning at the group, who looked decidedly not excited. “Well, let’s do across here.” He began to pair up the group, until he reached their table. “Oh, a talented group. Miss Stewart, I think Weasley here will need more help – so let’s do Stewart and Weasley, Potter and Malfoy.” Mel glanced sideways at Draco, who looked peeved.

“Be good,” Mel hissed. “I’m serious.”

“And what will I get in return?”

“You are a child,” she said. He rolled his eyes and she went to join Ron, while Harry sat next to him.

“Let’s just get this over with, Potter,” Draco said tiredly. He pulled out his book and opened to the right page, scanning over the recipe. “What’s that?” Harry had pulled out a book that looked similar, but it had notes all throughout.

“Just some notes I’ve made,” he said, but seemed nervous. Draco narrowed his eyes, but saw Mel glaring at him from across the room, and let it go. As Draco moved to chop up the wolfsbane, Potter stopped him. “Actually, it’s better if you shred it,” he said. Draco grimaced, but said nothing, and started shredding. Draco started glancing at the book for instructions instead, and they worked in silence. “So you and Mel are, uh – dating?” Potter asked.

“Let’s not make small talk,” Draco said, gritting his teeth. “I heard you had a few choice words to say to her about the matter. Now, if it were me, you and I would be handling that physically, but Mel has protested, so…” he finished.

“It’s because she’s too good for you,” Potter spat. Draco laughed.

“Well… obviously. I’m clearly not going to disagree with you on that, Potter. Now, let’s not talk, because every time you say her name, it makes me want to break your nose again.” They quickly finished the potion, which was excellent, despite Potter’s notes – which was curious. Mel, on the other hand, had just taken to doing the whole potion herself.

“Well, that was not fun,” Mel said, brushing off her robes as they left the room. “But you did play nice with Potter. I’m so proud of you,” she said, grinning.

“Do I get my reward now?” he asked, pulling her closer to him. “Here – I want to show you something.” He pulled her down the hallway, which spontaneously started to move, and a door appeared. They walked in, and it looked like the common room, but cozier, and notably empty.

“What is this?”

“The Room of Requirement. Creates whatever you need,” Draco said, already pulling Mel down onto the couch with him. “And this is what I need,” he said, kissing her as she sat perched in his lap.

“Draco, it’s like 3PM –“

“Classes are over for the day – and I have been craving some alone time with you,” he said.

“What about tonight?” she asked, and he groaned through a kiss.

“Making me wait? That is so cruel.”

“I promised Ginny I’d help her study for an exam,” Mel said. “Let’s come after dinner, okay? It’s not going to kill you.”

After dinner, as she promised, they returned, and the room somehow looked more cozy – with the addition of a fireplace, and, notably, a bed.

“Come here, please,” Draco said, lounging on the couch near the fire. She leaned into him and he kissed her deeply, with intent. As he ran his fingers up and down her body, she moaned. He grinned at her, and she sighed.

“Shut up,” she whispered, before removing her shirt.

“Like putty in my hands,” he said, and she rolled her eyes.

“Let’s not have a contest about who is more eager,” she said, kissing a line down his chest. He flipped her and pinned her to the couch, then reconsidered and picked her up. He moved her over to the bed instead, and climbed on top of her, grinding into her. “Draco,” she said breathlessly, as he kissed her neck. “Do you – do you want to have sex?”

“Merlin, yes,” he said, and she unzipped his pants, making him groan. They grinned at one another as they undressed, both excited and a bit nervous at this new change in their relationship. "You are so bloody gorgeous," he said, before he entered her. She raked her fingernails up and down his back, and he loved he feeling of closeness, of no space between them, the feeling of looking into her eyes when he finished, the two of them laying together afterward. “That was amazing,” he said, once he’d finally remembered how to speak. “Best… I mean, honestly,” he said, stroking her face with his thumb.

“Draco, are you… are you sleeping with anyone else?” she asked, and he was jolted out of bliss.

“Of course not. Why would you ask that? You’re not… are you?” he asked, suddenly worried.

“No – no, I’m not. I just didn’t know if you were, because we didn’t really talk about it, so…” she said.

“Oh – yeah, I guess we haven’t. I mean, do you want a label, or something? I’m not really about that, you know.” She shrugged.

“I don’t care about that as much – I just… wanted to know if I had you to myself,” she said, smiling at him and tousling his hair. His heart softened a bit, and he pulled her in for a kiss.

“Of course you do. You are mine – got it?” She nodded, cuddling into his chest.

“Well, you’re pretty popular with the female population here,” she said. “How was I supposed to know whether that was still going on even though I was in the picture?”

“Because it’s different,” he said simply. “It’s different with you.”

“Seriously, how am I supposed to know that?” she asked gently. “You know, I can’t read what’s going on in that tortured mind of yours.”

“Now that is a good thing,” he said. She moved to put her clothes back on, but he pulled her back into bed. “Let’s stay – no one’s going to know. I need another good night of sleep.”

“Fine, but only because the circles under your eyes are getting really bad. I’m worried about you,” she said, kissing his cheek.

The next thing he remembered, Mel was shaking him awake.

“Draco – Draco! Wake up,” she said, and he opened his eyes. She was sitting up next to him, her hands on his shoulders. He was covered in sweat, and his heart was racing. “It’s okay, you just had a nightmare,” she said soothingly, and he felt embarrassed.

“I’m fine,” he said, pulling away from her, and he could tell she was hurt. “I don’t need you to comfort me – I’m not a baby and you’re not my girlfriend,” he said, and he knew his voice sounded too hateful, but he didn’t care. She looked down and nodded.

“I’m going to go,” she said, and quickly got dressed. She glanced at him once before leaving. He didn’t try to stop her, nor did he sleep again that night.

The next morning at breakfast, Mel was already there, looking tired. He knew he looked worse. When he sat down, she got up abruptly, grabbing an apple and collecting her books. Pansy gave him a look.

“You were an ass, weren’t you?”

“Probably,” he said, running his hand through his hair.

“She acts tough, but you hurt her feelings, you know,” Pansy said, and suddenly he couldn’t take it – he got up as well, and darted to a familiar hiding place – the abandoned bathroom on the fourth floor, where Moaning Myrtle lived. He felt a panic attack coming on and tore his sweater off, staring into the mirror to try to get his bearings. He saw movement in the mirror, and turned around quickly to see Potter standing there.

“Get the fuck out of here, Potter,” he said, tears running down his face.

“What’s going on – why are you hiding in here – what are you hiding?” he asked suspiciously.

“Leave me alone,” Draco said, turning away from him.

“I hope this means that Melanie finally got some sense and dumped you. If not, she’s dumber than she looks,” Potter said, clearly baiting him. Draco fell for it, hook, line and sinker. He picked up his wand and fired a curse at Potter, and soon they were in a full-on duel. Finally, he slipped up, and Draco felt like his skin was bursting open – he looked down as he fell to the ground to see blood spilling out of a thousand tiny cuts on his body. Potter’s face was the last thing he saw before it all went dark.

Draco didn’t show in Potions, so Mel figured he was avoiding her, which made her feel like crap. But that feeling turned to dread when Professor Snape cornered her in the hallway. He had blood on his shirt.

“Draco’s in the hospital wing,” Snape said lowly.

“What happened?” Mel asked, sounding panicked.

“A dark curse – from Potter,” Snape seethed. “I’ll handle that, but I thought you’d… want to know.” Mel dashed down the hallway and into the hospital wing, where she found Draco unconscious in one of the beds. There was blood everywhere – seeping through the bandages that covered him.

“What happened?” Mel asked, feeling her eyes prick with tears.

“It’s a dark curse, my dear. He’ll be fine – but he’s pretty cut up right now. I’ve healed him, but the wounds are deep – it’s going to take a number of sessions for him to be right as rain again,” Madam Pomfrey said kindly. Mel sank into the chair next to his bed, and noticed how small and pale Draco looked like this. After a few hours, Madam Pomfrey returned. “Why don’t you go get something to eat, dear? It’s fine if you spend the night here,” she added quietly. Mel nodded, and turned to leave with one last glance at Draco.

Once in the Great Hall, she began to walk toward the Slytherin table, but then spotted Harry eating with his friends. Soon, before she knew what was happening, she was at the Gryffindor table, hauling Harry Potter out of his seat by the collar of his robes.

“Up. Now,” she said dangerously, and the Great Hall was quiet, news of Harry and Draco’s fight having spread that morning. “Unless you want me to do this in front of everyone, that is,” she said. He obliged, and she dragged him down a nearby hallway, with Ron, Hermione and Ginny in tow.

“Mel, I can explain –“ he started.

“No explanations,” she said, eyes flashing, hands twitching with the magic she was tempted to use. She could tell Harry felt it too. “You almost killed him. Did you see what he looks like? There’s a cut on every inch of his body.”

“I didn’t know what that spell did, I swear,” he protested.

“Why the fuck would you use it on Draco then?”

“Mel – I’m sorry, I didn’t know. He was trying to hurt me, too.”

“I honestly don’t care. He’s the one who’s been lying unconscious in the hospital wing all fucking day,” she said. “You need to get over this petty thing between you two. I’m going to talk to him about it, but this has to stop.”

“I just don’t think you know who you’re dealing with. He’s dangerous,” Harry said, and Mel saw red. Before anyone could move, she’d punched him straight in the nose, hearing a satisfying crack.

“You need to mind your own business. And apologize – to him. You’re supposed to be the good guy, right? So be the good guy,” she said, before dashing off and sitting next to Blaise at the Slytherin table.

“That was by far – and I truly mean this – the best thing to ever happen at Hogwarts,” Blaise said, once Mel had settled in. “Watching all one hundred pounds of you drag Harry Potter out of the Great Hall by his robes? Malfoy is going to be so pissed he missed that one.”

“Wait – he’s back. And he’s… bleeding? Did you hex him?” Pansy asked.

“Punched him,” Mel replied, eating quickly so she could return to the hospital wing.

“That is brilliant – hey, slow down. He’s going to be fine,” Pansy said, touching her friend’s shoulder. “Do you want me to come?”

“No, that’s okay. I’m really not hungry, either – I’m just going to go back,” Mel said, feeling frazzled. But when she walked back in, she felt relief flood her body when she realized Draco was awake. “Draco,” she said, her voice unsteady, before bursting into a flood of tears.

“Hi,” he said, and she could tell he was hurting.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up – I was here before, but then I just left to get dinner, I should have just stayed –“

“Hey – Mel, breathe. It’s okay,” he said. “I’m okay.”

“Can I touch your hand? Or is it – does it hurt too badly?” she asked, and her eyes filled up again.

“My hands are okay – it’s pretty much just the rest of my body,” he said, and she gently held his palm. “Mel…” he said, looking into her watery blue eyes. “I’m really sorry about last night. I was being an ass.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” she said.

“No, it does,” he said firmly. “I’m really sorry. And I’m also sorry about what I said before that… about the labels. Even if it didn’t bother you – you deserve more than that. I want you to be my girlfriend, Mel. Okay?”

“Okay,” she said, squeezing his hand tighter. She slept there that night, curled up next to him once Madam Pomfrey was gone, careful not to disturb his bandages. The next morning, she only left to change in the dormitory, and go to a few classes, before she was back. She and Draco were chatting that afternoon when Harry appeared in the room.

“Can I talk to Malfoy for a minute?” he asked, and Mel nodded and left the room without another word. She found Ginny in the hallway.

“Hey,” Ginny said, and Mel felt extremely guilty.

“Hey – look, I’m really sorry about yesterday. I was out of line – I shouldn’t have hit him,” Mel said.

“No, I think he deserved it,” she replied. “I hauled him here to apologize.” Mel smiled. “Let’s hope they can make it through a conversation without any more mortal injuries.”

Inside, Harry stood awkwardly by Draco’s bedside.

“What, came to finish the job, Potter?” Draco drawled, watching Harry stare at the bandages. “Don’t worry – at least you didn’t mess up my pretty face.”

“No – look, I’m here to apologize,” he said, the word not flowing easily off his tongue. “I was out of line using that spell yesterday. I didn’t know what it did, and I could have killed you. That wasn’t my intention, so I’m sorry.”

“So it wasn’t your intention to kill me? Because if it was, you would have done a damn good job at trying,” Draco said.

“It was not. Although, Mel did almost kill me yesterday in the Great Hall, so I guess we’re even.”

“Did she really? That is brilliant,” Draco said, grinning.

“And then Ginny nearly finished me off afterward. So I’m fighting a losing battle,” he replied.

“They’re probably out in the hall right now, conspiring about how to get us to be friends so that we can double date,” Draco said dryly. “Which, in case you were wondering, is a hard limit for me.” They stood in silence for a moment.

“Well, that’s it. Just… the apology,” Harry said.

“Potter,” Draco said, before Harry turned to leave. “Just a note – if you ever talk about my girlfriend that way again, I will break your jaw.” Harry nodded, then darted out the door. Mel returned, taking his hand again, and giving him an extremely gentle kiss. “Love, I didn’t know that you were holding out on me. Do you mean to tell me that you assaulted Potter yesterday?” Draco said, looking giddy.

“I hit him, yes,” Mel confirmed, and he laughed out loud.

“God, you are amazing,” he said, and Mel smiled, still pink from Draco’s new pet name for her. "You are brilliant." And as she opened up her bag to work on both of their homework, he could hardly believe it himself. His girlfriend was brilliant. 


	5. Christmas, Pt 1

Draco was in the hospital wing for a week – with Mel by his side the whole time. His chest was covered in tiny scars, which would fade with time, but Draco hated the way that they marred his alabaster skin. Mel, on the other hand, told him they were hot.

“Mel, can I talk to you about something?” Ginny asked, as they sat in the library together at one of the secluded couches. She nodded and closed her book. “Okay, so I’m assuming that you and Malfoy… you know,” she said, looking uncomfortable.

“What – that we have sex? Yes,” Mel said, looking amused.

“Keep your voice down,” Ginny hissed. Mel cast a silencing charm. “Thank you. Yes – well, honestly, I’ve snogged a bunch of guys, but I’ve never really done anything beyond that.”

“You’re so pure,” Mel said, grinning, and Ginny shoved her, looking embarrassed. “So what do you want to know?”

“How long did you wait?”

“Well…” Mel said, biting her lip. “I waited like a whole month after I met him to even kiss him.”

“And after that?”

“Well, we snogged that night. And… a little extra.”

“What does that mean?” Ginny asked, slightly mindblown. So Mel told her, and Ginny stared at her, mouth agape. “The first night?”

“I mean… yeah,” Mel said.

“I’m so behind!” Ginny wailed.

“No – hey, don’t think that way. There’s no right or wrong timeline. We’d just both already had sex before. It’s different when it’s your first time,” Mel said. “Don’t get down on yourself. Plus, Harry is like… so virginal. I think he would panic.”

“So where do I even start?” she asked, looking defeated.

“Well, does he ever like… try to touch you?” Mel tried, but Ginny turned bright red. “OK, give me five minutes,” she said, and dashed to the Slytherin dorms to get Pansy. She cast another silencing charm. “Ginny here would like some… advice. Bedroom advice,” Mel said pointedly. “I thought you might be helpful because –“

“Because I’ve slept with our whole house?” Pansy said.

“Well, yes. So, does he, Ginny? Like, try anything?”

“No, not ever. I think he’s nervous,” she said, her face red.

“Look, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Pansy said, waving her hand. “Honestly. Everyone at this school is either having sex, or wishes they were. It’s nothing to be worried about. Okay?” Ginny looked slightly better, and nodded. “So, trying to get into the Chosen One’s pants. He’s probably trying too hard to be saintly. I’d guess that if you made a move first, then his normal, human male instincts would kick in. I think,” she said.

“So… what should I do?” Ginny asked, and Pansy smiled wickedly.

“Easy stuff,” Mel said, looking at Pansy. “Well, you could sit on his lap, when you’re kissing…”

“I think you should just say it. ‘I want you to touch me, Potter.’ Or, Harry, I guess, in your case,” Pansy said, and Ginny turned deep red.

“I can’t say that,” she hissed. From behind them Mel saw Draco appear, but she shooed him away. He looked confused but sat down nearby.

“Actually, the first time Draco and I were hooking up, I just… put his hands where I wanted them,” Mel said, looking at him and feeling her cheeks go pink.

“This is gross that he’s sitting right there,” Ginny said. “But just like, move his hands? Onto me?” Mel nodded enthusiastically.

“That should do it,” Pansy agreed.

“Well, I need to go Oblivate myself from this entire conversation,” Ginny said, feeling embarrassed. She stood up.

“Report back! Tell us how it goes!” Mel said, and Ginny turned redder before walking away. Draco joined them, giving Mel a kiss on the top of her head.

“What was that about? Quite a gathering over here,” he said. Pansy grinned.

“Oh, she just needed some advice about how to get with Saint Potter,” she said. “From the two resident experts.”

“That is not an image I need in my mind – I’m feeling quite ill,” Draco said, wrapping his arms around Mel.

“Now you understand how I feel when you idiots do that,” Pansy said, groaning.

“We’re going, anyway,” he said, grabbing Mel’s hand.

“We are?” she said, and he nodded, so she said goodbye to Pansy and walked hand in hand with her.

“Let’s go outside,” he said. “I want to take you flying.”

“I told you I don’t fly,” Mel said.

“On my broom. With me,” he said, and she agreed. They took a slow loop around the castle, and even Mel agreed it was an amazing view. When they landed again, they sat by the shore of the Black Lake, Draco pulling Mel close to keep warm. “I have a question for you.”

“Okay,” she said.

“The holidays are coming up in a few weeks…” Draco started, “and I wanted to know your plans. Because either way, I want to spend them with you.” She gave him a kiss and smiled.

“I was planning on staying here,” she said. “It would be really nice to have some company, since it’s my first Christmas –“

“Without your family, I know,” he said quietly. “I was wondering if you wanted to come home with me for Christmas. Meet my family.”

“Your family?” she asked, sounding unsure.

“We’re not… close anymore, not like we were once. My father and I can’t even stand to be in the same room most of the time. But there’s a whole manor, and we don’t have to spend much time with them at all,” he said.

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” she asked, and he was filled with doubt, with selfish guilt for even asking her to come. “I just want to be with you.”

“It’s what I want,” he said. “I want you to meet my mother, see my home… everything.”

“Okay,” she said, with a soft smile. “But will they like me? I’m not exactly the kind of girl that most mothers dream about their sons bringing home.”

“Well, you have dark makeup and piercings, and they’re Death Eaters, so I think it’s probably even ground,” he said, making her laugh. “And we can sleep together every night, and do whatever you want for two weeks. It will be perfect.” Other than the fact that he hadn’t asked his parents yet – though he didn’t plan on asking so much as telling. He sent them an owl the following day.

‘Mother and Father, I’m coming home for Christmas on the 18th, and I’m bringing my girlfriend, Melanie, with me. She’s new this year, in Slytherin, a transfer from Ilvermorny in America. We’ve been seeing each other for a few months. Please be civil.’

“You’re absolutely mad, going there,” Ginny said, as she, Mel and Hermione sat together in the library, not really studying before break.

“He wants me to see his house, meet his family,” Mel said, shrugging. “In other news… Ginny… how goes it with Harry?”

“Do I even want to hear this?” Hermione said, head in her hands.

“What you and Pansy said… let’s just say it worked,” Ginny said, a slightly devilish grin on her face.

“Hey! Good for you, Ginny,” Mel said with a smile. “Bet it blew his mind.”

“It kind of did, I think,” she agreed. They both looked at Hermione, who was purple with embarrassment. “Oh come on, Hermione. Just because you and my brother just stare at each other longingly doesn’t mean that we’re all quite so innocent.”

“There’s no right time or wrong time,” Mel repeated. “Although, I don’t know how either of you waited so long. Better people than me, I suppose.”

“Well, Draco’s quite… fit, isn’t he?” Hermione said, cheeks pink. Ginny gaped at her.

“God, Hermione, gross!” she said, while Mel laughed.

“He is,” Mel said, grinning. “Ginny just must not like that dark, brooding type. It’s okay – some of us have good taste in men, and some of us don’t.”

“Well, speak of the literal devil,” Ginny said, glancing behind Mel. “He follows you around like a puppy, Mel. How did you manage that?”

“Granger, Weasley,” Draco said in greeting, approaching the table. “Blaise and Pansy are waiting for us at lunch.”

“I’m actually not hungry right now, and we’ve only just started on some work for History of Magic. I’ll see you at dinner, okay?” she said, grabbing his hand.

“Mel,” he said, looking impatient.

“And after dinner,” she reminded him, and he rolled his eyes.

“Fine,” he said, before stalking away. Mel turned back to them.

“That’s how. If I just gave in all the time and did whatever he wanted, it wouldn’t be fun for either of us.”

“You are like… kind of evil. But in a good way,” Ginny marveled. “Watching Malfoy whining for your attention – that’s mad.”

“I’ll pay for it later,” she said, grinning.

“He doesn’t hurt you, does he Mel?” Hermione said, suddenly acting concerned.

“No – of course he doesn’t. He’s actually incredibly gentle and quite sensitive when he wants to be – but you didn’t hear that from me. No, I meant like, in a sex-way, Hermione,” Mel said, and Hermione blushed.

“Can we please get back to doing some work?” she asked, suddenly unable to meet Mel’s eyes.

That night, Draco and Mel met outside of the Room of Requirement. It was the last week before they’d be going home for Christmas with Draco’s family.

“Hello, my love,” Draco said, giving her a kiss. He didn’t like to be that outwardly affectionate, but he loved the way Mel’s cheeks flushed and how pleased she looked whenever he did, so he conceded. The room opened for them, and they entered. Draco immediately pressed her up against the wall, intertwining their fingers.

“What, no small talk? Asking me how my day was?” Mel asked, smirking as he kissed her neck. He rolled his eyes, pulling back. 

"Fine, fine, small talk," he said, making her laugh. “So, we’re leaving Wednesday – any last minute nerves? Regrets?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Many,” she said with a smile. “But I’m excited, too.”

"Was that enough for you? Did I meet the quota?" he asked, hands back around her waist.

"I'll let it slide this time," she said, and he pulled her onto the bed beside them.

Afterward, as they laid together, he turned to her again.

"Last minute chance to back out. We really don't have to go."

"I want to," she insisted. "It's nice to pretend things are normal, that I'm just meeting my boyfriend's family. I'm sure it will be fine."

"As long as you're sure," he said hesitantly, and she kissed him before nodding. Mel looked at the time. “We should probably get back – it’s almost curfew.”

They pulled their robes on, Mel fixing Draco’s tie, making him smile. Her hair was a mess, so she quickly pulled it into a braid – though both of their faces were still notably pink. They exited the Room and began the walk back to the dungeons, Draco refusing to let go of Mel’s hand, feeling very light.

“Miss Stewart, Mr. Malfoy,” Draco heard from somewhere behind them. They turned to see Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore approaching them, and they dropped hands immediately. “It is almost curfew – I do hope you were heading back to your dormitory.”

“Yes, Professor,” Mel said quickly. “We were just walking there now.”

“And Miss Stewart, what might your plans for the holidays be?” Dumbledore asked cheerfully, ignoring the conversation about curfew. “Staying at the castle with us?”

“No, actually,” she said, brushing a strand of hair that had gotten loose behind her ear. “Draco’s invited me to spend the holidays with his family.” Draco didn’t miss the change in McGonagall’s demeanor, could feel her eyes glaring at him. Dumbledore, however, remained cheerful.

“Well, that’s very hospitable of Mr. Malfoy and his family. You know, I do think that the company of a fine woman makes all the difference for a wizard. Don’t you agree, Mr. Malfoy?” Draco finally looked up to meet his eyes, a steely blue, though they were twinkling.

“Yes, Professor,” he said quietly, feeling that Dumbledore somehow… knew – though that was impossible.

“Well, we won’t keep you any longer,” he said, and they turned to go. When they’d finally disappeared down the hallway, Draco’s breathing became erratic, and he slid against the wall.

“Draco – hey, what’s going on?” Mel asked, concerned. She helped him back up, holding him close, and his breathing slowed.

“I can’t talk about it right now. I’ll tell you over the holidays,” he said, feeling exhausted. They reached the common room. “Stay with me tonight? Please?” She obliged, and they climbed into his bed, intertwined.

“Mel, you’re so quiet!” Pansy said, as they piled into a compartment on the train.

“Well, she is about to enter the world’s least friendly home,” Blaise said.

“That isn’t helping,” Mel said, head leaning against the window, hands inside her green sweater. She’d dressed a little more formally today – straying from the normal all-black attire she normally wore. She’d paired the sweater with a pair of dark jeans without rips, and a pair of black boots Draco didn’t even know she owned. She had toned down the eyeliner a bit, though it was still there, along with the black nails and piercings.

“It will be fine,” Draco said, but the other three looked unconvinced.

“Are they picking you up?” Blaise asked.

“Nope – they sent a car. We’re meeting them at the house.” Mel stayed curled into him for the remainder of the ride, and he could tell she was actually nervous.

“You don’t maybe want to take some of the eyeliner off, Mel?” Pansy asked, trying to be helpful.

“I already took some of it off,” she snapped.

“You look great,” Draco said, shooting Pansy a look. When the train arrived, they dragged their trunks to the corner, where Draco loaded them into the back of a driverless car. Mel leaned on his chest and closed her eyes, where she remained until the car pulled up in front of the Manor. He scanned his wand and the door opened, and Mel sat up, fixing her hair. They got out of the car, and their trunks were whisked away into the house.

“Do I look okay?” She asked, and he smoothed her hair and smiled.

“You look beautiful, as always. Mel – you know how I feel about you. They’ll like you, I’m sure, but it doesn’t matter either way. Okay?” She nodded, and he took her hand and walked up to the front door, which opened. He was surprised to see his parents in the front room, sitting on a sofa, awaiting their arrival. They both stood when they walked through the door.

“Hi darling,” his mother said, giving him a hug, which he accepted. His father stood nearby, and muttered a half-hearted greeting, and Draco nodded in return.

“This is Melanie,” he said, and his mother zeroed in on her immediately.

“Hi Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy,” she said, her voice sounding steady despite Draco knowing how she felt. “Thanks so much for having me for the holidays.” Draco watched his mother’s eyes, glancing at Mel’s nails, her makeup, the tiny stud in the side of her nose.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Melanie. Although I wish I could say we’ve heard about you, my son is very intentionally evasive in letters, as I think you could imagine. Come sit,” she said, and they joined the other couple in the front room. “So, how long have you two been seeing each other?”

“Are we starting with the inquisition already?” Draco asked, frustrated.

“Not an inquisition, just chatting,” his mother said.

“Since the beginning of the year,” Draco replied, watching his father’s face, which looked stony and angry, though he didn’t know why. As his mother began asking another question about their relationship, his father stopped her.

“Narcissa, please. We’re not going to just pretend like this is normal, are we?” he asked. He glared at Draco, while Draco glanced over at Mel, who looked petrified. “We haven’t gotten a single status update from you over the past few months. And this girl – this is what you’ve been spending your time on instead? You are a fool,” he spat. Mel looked at the floor.

“Not right now,” Draco said, standing up. “I’m going upstairs with Melanie for a moment, and then we can talk this over. But not right now.” He took Mel’s hand, who quickly stood, and they climbed the stairs to his room. Once he closed the door, he turned to Mel, who looked extremely upset. “Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him,” he said. He looked back at her, and she looked petrified. “I’m sorry, come here,” he said, bringing her into his chest. She wiped away a few tears. 

“I’m okay,” she said, trying to convince herself. 

“Why don’t you stay up here - get dressed for dinner, do whatever you want, and I’ll be back in a moment.” He quickly descended down the staircase, where his parents waited for him. 

“What were you thinking, Draco? Spending your time on a girl like that, rather than fulfilling your mission for the Dark Lord. I thought more of you, honestly, than a typical teenage boy just hoping to get a girl into bed with him.” 

“Do not talk about her that way,” he said curtly. “Seriously, you’re not giving her a chance. I care... very deeply for her,” he said, struggling to show his emotions to his parents. 

“What did you expect? For us to be happy that you’d spent this time with a girl that clearly has no pureblood status, no business being with a Malfoy? An American, a girl who looks…” Lucius said, not finishing his sentence, but his eyes flashing with rage. “A partnership is supposed to be well thought out, Draco. Cautious. Not overly emotional - that’s when mistakes happen. When you show weakness. You’re acting like a child.”

“You haven’t treated me like a child since I was twelve years old, Father. Let’s not kid ourselves.”

“I just don’t see much substance there. I see a girl who you thought might be easy to get into bed, who distracted you from what is really important, Draco. Your mission.” Draco exploded.

“Don’t you want me to be happy? Don’t you care about me at all?” he asked, fuming. “Seriously - I’ve been in this... darkness for _years_. You didn’t care at all. I don’t want my whole life to be centered around this. She is the one thing - the only thing - I have that makes me happy. Because even though you’re offering me up for the slaughter, and I’m not even sure how much time I have left, I’d rather spend that time with her than the likes of you. Now, if you’d rather pretend that we aren’t here, you can do so. This place is certainly big enough,” Draco said. 

“Draco - of course I don’t want that. You are... my son. My only son,” Lucius said, strained. He always got upset when Draco mentioned his imminent demise. He knew he’d have no legacy - only a dead son that hated him his entire life. “We’ll all have dinner together tonight. I’ll... make more of an effort to be cordial.” Draco nodded, then turned to go back upstairs. Mel was at the door, listening as he knew she would be. 

“Come here,” she said, and he collapsed into her. He let a few tears fall. “Draco, it’s okay. He’s not going to upset me again. I’m here - I’m not going anywhere.” Draco heard the creak of a few light footsteps in the hallway that stopped right outside the door. Usually, when he had these blowouts with his father, his mother would come up afterwards to check on him. But as Mel hugged him as he cried, his mother did not come in. She let the two of them be - let Mel comfort him, even though Draco knew it would upset her. He heard the footsteps trail away, back down the hall. 

“I’m so sorry – I should never have brought you here,” Draco said, his face in Mel’s shoulder.

“Please – I’ve heard worse about my appearance from men besides your father,” she said, giving Draco a kiss on the cheek. “You didn’t… just want to get to know me because you thought I was easy, right?”

“No,” he said firmly. “I did that because I thought you were ridiculously fit, just so beautiful. And because you understood me. I don’t care what everyone else says – I like the makeup, and the piercings. You are unique, and I adore you.” She smiled, and Draco felt relieved that he had, for once, said the right thing. They got under the covers of Draco’s bed, and lit the fireplace, and sat curled up in silence, while Mel read a book and Draco merely watched. Finally, they peeled themselves out, and got dressed for dinner – an outdated tradition, but followed by them both, nonetheless. Mel slipped into a simple black dress, and took out her wand to perform a quick Glamour charm on her tattoo that was peeking out. “Leave it,” Draco requested, taking it out of her hand. “It will piss my father off so much more.” She rolled her eyes, but complied. When they descended the stairs, Draco knew both of his parents noticed, but said nothing.

They sat down wordlessly at the table with his parents, and the first course appeared automatically. He groaned internally - his parents’ multi-course dinners took hours. Not that either of them really ate - he was consistently amazed at how they survived on nothing but despair. 

“This looks great,” Mel said, breaking the silence. They all began to eat - to at least have something to do. Even his mother managed a few bites. 

“So, Melanie, tell me about yourself,” his mother said, timidly. “Moving to the UK from America - that must be a big change for your family.” Draco grimaced. He’d wished he had asked his mother not to pry. She moved the food around on her plate. 

“Yeah, it has been a big change - mostly good. It’s just me though. My family was actually killed last year,” she said, in the same matter-of-fact voice that she’d used with him. His mother tried to speak again, but Lucius, who had been listening closely, interrupted her. 

“So your whole family was killed... in an accident in America?” he asked suspiciously. Mel met his eyes. 

“They were killed by Death Eaters, actually. Looking for a member of the resistance. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Lucius put down his fork. The table was silent. 

“So your parents were killed by Death Eaters,” he said dryly, “and I know you’re romantically involved with my son, so I assume you’ve seen what’s on his forearm. So you know what we’re... involved with.” She nodded, maintaining eye contact. “So why are you here?” 

“Lucius, I don’t know if this -” 

“No, I want to hear it, Narcissa.”

“I know there’s more than one reason why people do what they do,” Mel said, and he placed his hand on hers under the table. “I can’t judge without knowing the whole story. And despite my appearance,” she said, making Lucius cast his gaze downward, “I am not stupid. I just care about your son. And I just wanted to do something for my boyfriend, who wanted to have a normal holiday, and who wanted me to meet his family,” she said softly, and Narcissa looked at Draco, looking slightly emotional. Draco felt a tightness in his throat, and was thankful that he didn’t need to say anything, because hew as afraid of what might come out if he did. Lucius simply nodded, and with a start, got up from the table, leaving them just with his mother.

“Well, it sounds like there’s lots to know about you, Melanie,” his mother said, and Draco was surprised that she didn’t follow his father. “Draco, tell me about how you met her.” She smiled as Draco talked, speaking more freely than he had in a long time in his home. He talked about the first night he and Mel met – about how she refused to go out with him for a month, and Narcissa smiled at the hint of softness she saw in her son.

“Did Snape tell you about the mess with Potter last month?” Draco asked.

“What mess with Potter?” his father asked, reappearing from the background, and rejoining them at the table, scotch in hand. “Are you causing more issues with him?”

“He attacked Draco – used some kind of spell I’ve never heard of. He was in the hospital wing for a week,” Mel said, glancing over at him. Narcissa looked alarmed.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” she asked, and Draco shrugged.

“I was fine. Besides,” he said, with a smirk, “Mel handled it. Although I was unfortunately not around to see it, Blaise described the scene as Mel ‘hauling Potter out of his seat at the dinner table by his collar.’ I don’t think his nose has been the same since.”

“You hexed Harry Potter?” Lucius asked.

“No, I hit him,” she replied, and Draco could spot the very hint of a smile on his father’s lips. He raised his eyebrows and said nothing more.

“I think he’s genuinely afraid of you at this point. I highly doubt he’ll bother me again this year,” Draco said, and Mel smiled slightly.

“Let’s hope so. That was stressful,” she said, and Draco could almost see his father’s frosty exterior melting. They finished the rest of dinner uneventfully, and returned back upstairs to Draco’s room, where they curled up on the sofa in front of the fireplace. The firelight played off Mel’s face, off of her dark hair, and Draco’s heart swelled.

“Mel,” he said, and they locked eyes. “I know I can be an ass sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” she said with a smile, and he rolled his eyes.

“Okay – can you just let me finish? I’m trying to…” he said. “Even if I don’t always act like it, I really care about you. It’s hard for me to express how I feel to you, because I haven’t said it in probably 12 years – to anyone. Not to my family, my mother, no one. So I’m trying, and I may not be able to… say it, but I feel it.” He could see emotion in her eyes, and she moved closer to him, removing any space between them.

“I feel it, too,” she whispered, and kissed him. He put his hands in her hair, and he felt the love for her that he couldn’t yet express. He expected her to make a joke, to clear the serious air, but she didn’t. Instead, they simmered in it, both reveling in the fact that they were in love – that they were loved. When they slept together, it wasn’t desperate or rapid, like usual, but slow and intimate. They laid together afterwards, Mel gently stroking his hair. They got up to get ready for bed and he watched as she washed off her makeup, her soft, freckled face appearing. When they climbed into bed together afterward, he touched her cheek.

“Mel – you know I think you look amazing all the time, and I really like how you dress – but you are just so beautiful like this,” he said quietly, looking at her hair, tied back, and her fresh face.

“Did you ever consider that I know that? And maybe that’s the reason I wear it?” she asked, and cuddled into his chest. “Hold on a second,” she said. She got up and reached into the side pocket of her trunk, pulling out a journal. She opened it, and slid out a photo. Returning to bed, she passed it to him. A family of four smiled back at him, an older woman waving hello. The man, who shared Mel’s blue eyes, smiled and wrapped his arm around his wife, brushing her dark hair out of her face. A younger boy grinned as well. And then, of course, there was Mel. Her hair was shorter, and her face rounder – free of any makeup. She wore a yellow dress, and he noticed that the piercings were missing – no tattoo peeking out from her leg.

“When was this?” he asked, his fingers running over the photo.

“A little over a year ago. Thanksgiving – it’s an American holiday,” she said.

“So this – you did this after?” he asked. She nodded.

“I just felt so… weak,” she said. “And I hated how people were treating me – everyone just looked at me with pity – like I was the poor, sweet girl who couldn’t take care of herself. Once I started dressing like this,” she shrugged, “people stopped bothering me as much. Kept away the unwanted strangers. Except for you, of course. Your mind is just as fucked up as mine, and you liked it.”

“Mel,” he said, and wrapped his arms around her. “You are not weak. You can dress however you want, but you don’t have to do anything to prove that. Not to me.”

“It just feels easier this way,” she said.

“Then keep doing it. Do whatever makes you happy. I like you either way. You’re beautiful either way,” he said. Looking at the grin on her face, he groaned. “I’ve gotten so soft,” he said through kisses, and she laughed.

“I know.” She held him tight, and she fell asleep curled on him, head on his chest.

It turned out that Mel – despite the tougher exterior – retained her love for Christmas, and they got out of bed early the next morning to decorate. Mel pulled on a pair of blue jeans and one of Draco’s jumpers that she’d stolen back at school, and dragged him downstairs, where they drank tea while watching the snow. Draco heard the door open and saw his parents re-enter the room, back from their morning walk.

“Mother, do we have any Christmas decorations?” Draco asked. He vaguely remembered having a tree when he was younger, but they hadn’t celebrated in years. She smiled at him. 

“I’m sure they’re tucked away somewhere. I’ll ask the house elves to look,” she said. 

“So you’re going to spend the day what - trimming the tree like the sugar plum fairy?” Lucius asked. 

“That’s pretty much the intention, yes.” Lucius walked away, clearly annoyed, while Mel stifled a giggle. When Narcissa returned, there was a large pile of old decorations in the hall, as well as a massive, fresh tree that she had summoned for them. 

“This is perfect!” Mel said. She looked through the decorations, finding that most of them were black, silver and green. “Could this be more typically Malfoy? You guys can’t even do traditional Christmas decorations?” Draco laughed. 

“At least we’re consistent.” 

“Do you think I could add a little color to these - what about gold instead of the silver? It’s warmer. And maybe some red?” She said, pulling garlands out of the boxes, and picked up her wand.

“Perks of being 17,” she said, with a smile, knowing he wasn’t able to do magic outside of school until June. “Actually,” she said, “want to see something pretty cool that I’ve been working on?” She put her wand away, and placed three silver ornaments on the counter. She focused on the ornaments, and slowly moved her hand over them. Slowly, they became a brilliant red. 

“Wandless magic?” he asked, impressed. “That’s almost impossible to do. And without a spell?”

“Very impressive, indeed,” Lucius said, from somewhere behind them. They turned and he walked over to meet them. “Can you do that again?” She nodded, turning her attention to a plain pine garland. Gently moving her hand again, the garland’s green color deepened, and red ribbons appeared at perfectly spaced intervals. Lucius looked amazed. “Where did you learn that?”

“I did some... independent study last year,” she said. “To be honest, I wanted to be able to protect myself even if my wand wasn’t in arm’s reach, and without drawing attention to myself. I can’t really do any spells - I can cast a protection spell, and I’m working on disarming - but I tire out pretty quickly. I recently picked it up again.” 

“That takes immense skill,” Lucius said. Mel picked up a star tree-topper that was missing a few points. Closing her eyes, it transformed in her hands. “Mr. Malfoy, why don’t you put the topper on the tree?” She passed it over to him, and he examined it in amazement. She’d created a stunning golden topper of the Malfoy family crest, perfect to the last detail. 

“Truly miraculous,” he muttered, before picking up his wand and guiding it to the top of the tree. With another wave of his wand, he covered the tree in lights, before nodding and departing back to the other side of the Manor. 

“I think you just blew my father’s mind,” Draco said. “Mel, when have you gotten so good at all of this? He’s right - this stuff takes a lot of power. Almost no one can do it.”

“What do you think I’m doing when you brood all day?” she asked with a smirk.

“Just be careful - I know that stuff can wear you out,” he said. “Be safe.”

“I will,” she promised, “you’ll know when I’m pushing it because I get really pale, and my nose will start to bleed. It’s hard to hide. But I’m getting better with practice,” she said, and with a wave of her wand, perfectly placed the rest of the ornaments on the tree. The house looked like someone lived there for the first time in years. They put up the other decor, hung the garlands and admired their handiwork. 

“This is the first time it’s felt like Christmas here in a long time,” he said, pulling her in close to him. “I also don’t think I’ve spoken to my father this much in about as long. He doesn’t really know anything about me.”

“It’s clear that he’s a flawed man who loves you. Those shortcomings... they take years to undo, you know? But maybe you’re on the right path.”

“I don’t know how things will ever be right knowing everything he’s done, what he supports-” 

“Hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Today, Lucius Malfoy put the topper onto his Christmas tree. That sounds like a step in the right direction to me,” she said, giving him a kiss. 

“We need to spread that rumor, by the way. Can we embellish it a little? He drank some Eggnog, did a little caroling and then trimmed the tree?” 

“Sure, Draco.”

Their week with his parents was going far better than expected - while he wouldn’t say they were one happy family, it was the most he had enjoyed his parents’ company in a long time. His mother in particular seemed to have perked up significantly - she was more affectionate with him than she had been in years, and he could tell she’d been missing him. He was content - which was more than he had ever been before in Malfoy Manor - and it was because of Mel. He wasn’t dying to go back to school, after all. 

“Someone’s happy this morning,” Mel said, opening her eyes and smiling. 

“It’s Christmas Eve - your favorite day of the year,” he said.“What do you say about making time for a snowy flight?” he asked. They bundled up and went straight outside, collecting two brooms from the side of the house. Draco led, shooting off quickly, showing off with quick turns and loops, as Mel watched on, smiling. 

“Showoff!” she yelled, as she trucked along slowly. They flew around the whole property, snow falling gently. They finally landed back on the lawn. The snow made the Manor seem less creepy, and more ethereal. Draco faced the house, admiring the view, when he felt a snowball pelt him from behind. 

“Hey!” he said, laughing. He quickly retaliated, Mel shrieking as the snow hit her, her cheeks red and eyes bright. She tackled him and they fell laughing into the deep snow. Draco looked up at the snow falling onto Mel’s dark hair and how impossible this scene felt a few short months ago when they had met. He kissed her, feeling her cold lips as the wind whipped around them. They got up, brushing each other off, and she clung to him as they walked back to the house. Draco looked up, and saw his parents standing a few floors up, watching them. His father wasn’t quite smiling, but it was close. 


	6. Christmas, Pt 2

“Do you think this is okay? Will your grandmother die on sight?” Mel asked, turning towards him before Christmas dinner. She wore a deep red sweater dress, and her makeup was minimal – some of her hair piled up on top of her head in gentle curls, while the rest cascaded down her back.

“You look so incredibly beautiful,” he said. “Leave the tattoo, leave the piercings. Don’t change a thing.” She smiled and fixed the collar of his shirt.

“I’m surprised you guys do stuff like this – normal people things,” she said, and he rolled his eyes.

“We’re still pseudo normal, Mel. We do normal things. We also do… not so normal things. But none of that tonight,” he promised. There was a knock at the door, and his mother appeared.

“Well, you two make a very handsome couple,” she said, smiling warmly at them. “Everyone is going to Floo in soon,” she said, before turning and leaving them alone. After a deep breath, they joined his parents downstairs, where Mel saw a few extra blonde heads – Lucius had one sibling, a sister, who lived in Europe as well, and she had two sons – Cygnus and Orion, who both went to Durmstrang. Draco didn’t mind them, though they weren’t overly friendly. His mother’s family was more unpredictable, and although his aunt Bella wouldn’t be joining them for obvious reasons, his grandmother was incredibly judgmental and loud, and his mother’s cousins were strictly blood purists. After some greetings with the Malfoy side of the family, which were moderately simple, Narcissa motioned to Draco, and he walked over to see his grandmother sitting in an armchair, obviously already drinking.

“Hello Grandmother,” he said formally, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek. She gripped his face and examined him.

“Too pale – looking peaky,” she said, examining him, which was the same thing she said every year. “You get those genes from your father’s family.” She peered behind him at Melanie, who stood next to Narcissa. He turned to look at her.

“This is my girlfriend, Melanie,” he said. “She –“

“Last name?” she asked, examining Mel.

“Stewart – she’s from America,” he explained, and her eyes narrowed.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Black,” she said.

“I hope not Muggle-born,” she said, still looking at Draco.

“Half-blood,” Narcissa answered, which seemed to placate her enough.

“Nice complexion,” she said, sipping from her tumbler. Her eyes zeroed in on the tattoo on her thigh. “What’s that?”

“A tattoo,” Mel said, and Draco could tell she wished that she had covered it.

“Not very prim or lady-like,” she observed, and Mel’s cheeks flushed, but she smiled regardless.

“No, I suppose not,” Mel said plainly, and his grandmother appeared to smile a bit.

“Alright then,” she said, and turned back to one of his cousins. Draco breathed a visible sigh of relief and pulled her away.

“That was perfect. Thank Merlin,” Draco said, grinning.

“Why is she so concerned about your complexion?” Mel whispered.

“She hates my father. Doesn’t think he’s good enough for my mother – which I tend to agree with,” he replied. He took her hand, and they mulled around, talking to his cousins, who were all eager to meet Mel.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had an outsider at Christmas before,” his cousin Druella said. She was in her final year at Beauxbatons, and she looked like Draco, with dark features. “Didn’t your parents want you to marry someone from the Greengrass family, Draco?”

“Yes, until they met them. Not two ounces of common sense between those two girls, I swear,” Draco said, and she snorted. She looked at Mel.

“I like your look – edgy, not pretending to be virginal, like those other girls at Hogwarts. They were so annoying at the Triwizard tournament, acting so innocent and then snogging your boyfriend in the bathroom,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Hey, Pansy apologized for that,” Draco said, and Mel laughed.

“Yeah, well I’m glad you’re not dating her anymore,” Druella said, not in an unfriendly way. Mel smiled. “Now, would you tell me how you get your nails to look like that?”

“Oh,” she said, glancing at her nails, which were always the same. “They’re transfigured, actually – it works better. You never have to deal with chipping or redoing the spell,” she said.

“Could you do mine?” she asked, and Mel nodded, taking her hand.

“What color?”

“Pale gray – like your boyfriend’s eyes,” she said, and Mel smiled. Holding both of Druella’s hands in hers, Mel closed her eyes. Druella watched in amazement as her nails changed color. “That is brilliant,” she said. “You can call me Dru, by the way – it makes my mother so mad.”

“You can call me Mel, then,” she said, and Draco felt immense relief – and gratitude – for Druella. They sat at a long table for dinner, and Draco allowed himself to relax a bit, enjoying his family’s company for the first time in years. Draco spotted his mother and her cousin whispering conspiratorially while looking at he and Mel, but not in a bad way. After the meal, he and his cousins retreated to the den, to sit in front of the fire. His cousins asked Mel about America, making her laugh.

“I mean, it sounds kind of awesome – just like less rules, more partying?” his cousin Orion asked.

“Less judgment, in general – the pureblood families care less about keeping their lines so strong – more choices in who you end up with,” she said. Dru rolled her eyes.

“As much as I get it, that does sound nice. I cannot really stand my future husband to be,” she said, draining a class of champagne. “This time next year, we’ll be married.”

“I remember meeting him two years ago. He is rather… dull,” Draco said.

“Grandmother is a better conversationalist,” she said. “I’d much rather meet someone, like you did – but your parents are a bit more liberal than mine on those matters.”

“Well, I’ve had other responsibilities, so I think they’ll let the American girlfriend slide,” he said quietly, and she nodded. The night didn’t go on too late, so they bid goodbye to the family, and Draco and Mel escaped upstairs, to put on warm pajamas and sip hot cocoa in bed. While they were laughing about something Druella had said, there was a knock at the door, and Narcissa appeared. Draco started to get out of bed, feeling slightly uncomfortable with his mother seeing him in bed with Mel, but she waved her hand.

“Don’t get up on my account,” she said. “I just wanted to come say goodnight.” She walked into the room, and sat on the very edge of the bed, also feeling uncomfortable with seeing her son in such an intimate setting. “Thanks for being such a good sport tonight, Melanie. The whole family had such nice things to say about you. Even your grandmother,” she said, looking at Draco. “She said Melanie reminds her of Bella.”

“She’s nothing like Bella,” Draco said sharply, and his mother conceded.

“Still – getting praise from her is no small feat.”

“It was really nice to meet everyone as well. Thank you again so much for having me for the holidays,” Mel said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

“We’re so glad to have you – and that includes my husband. It’s nice to see my son like this again,” she said, and Draco thought for a moment she might cry – but her mask was back on quickly. “Well – I’m going to head to bed. Merry Christmas,” she said, and floated down the hall. Draco leaned in to kiss Mel.

“Thanks for putting up with everything, love,” he said, holding her close.

“It was nice to be around someone’s family at Christmas,” she said. “Even if it wasn’t mine.”

“How are you doing?” he asked, recalling that it was her first full holiday without her family.

“Okay. I just miss the way things used to be. The way my family was – especially on Christmas.”

“Why don’t you tell me about them?” he asked, and she put her head on his chest.

“Well, my Mom used to wake us up in the morning with French toast. And then we’d walk outside to see the snow, and my brother would usually shove some snow down my coat or something, and we’d go back inside…” she said, and he listened as she talked, stroking her hair until she fell asleep.

The following days were nice – Draco and Mel spent the time reading, flying and exploring the grounds. They spent time with his mother, and his father mainly avoided them. He, Mel and his mother were in the drawing room one day, watching a storm rage outside. They were essentially trapped inside, so they sat playing wizard’s chess and reading for several hours. Lucius lingered nearby, as there wasn’t really anywhere for him to hide.

“Draco – do you think you could go to the kitchens and ask the house elves to make us some coffee? It’s cold in here,” his mother said, and Mel agreed. He rolled his eyes.

“The only one who can’t do magic – sure,” he said, getting up regardless.

“I’ll help you, with the coffee,” his father said, rising as well. They walked outside and closed the door to the dining room. Draco started toward the kitchens, but his father stopped him. 

“Draco, I wanted to talk to you,” he said. “To...apologize.” Draco’s mind raced. He had no clue what could have prompted it. He and his father hadn’t spoken one on one in a few years - unless he’d been giving him orders or if they were arguing. “It seems that I have a lot to apologize for. The first of which, for being so... unpleasant when you brought Melanie home. I misjudged her. She’s a worthy partner - more than. And I’ve misjudged you, as well. For years, I assumed you were fine with the path that we - that I - had chosen. But I didn’t give you a choice.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “I forced you into something, saying it was essential because it was for family. But how foolish I was, as I put my beliefs above the welfare of my family - of my only son,” he said, his voice cracking. “Now I’ve gotten you into a situation, too young, and I can’t fix it. And I can never make up for that.” Draco was shocked. He didn’t know what to say, until the words were coming out of his mouth. 

“Father, it’s - it’s okay,” he said finally. “Being with Melanie has made me realize that there’s a life for me after this. I want to find a way to make it through,” he said, and realized it was true. He no longer accepted death or the loss of his soul with ambivalence. He wanted to _live_. More than that, he wanted a _life_. His cheeks were wet, and in another moment he would have been embarrassed that he was crying in front of his father. But Lucius awkwardly leaned down and hugged his son. He was out of practice. He let Draco go, and Draco wiped the tears from his eyes. 

“Shall we - get the coffee?” he said, with a small smile. “The key to a long relationship is never keeping a lady waiting for too long,” he said, as they walked into the kitchens together. 

The night before they returned to school, Draco knew he couldn’t put off telling Mel about the mission he’d been given. However, he also couldn’t bring himself to do it. Watching her sit at dinner with his parents, both of them smiling – it was too nice to ruin. He just wanted to enjoy the night. With two mugs of tea, they sat on the couch with his parents, talking about the upcoming term. With the feeling of burning on his forearm, Draco nearly dropped his mug. His father looked equally concerned.

“Wait here – let me go see what this is about,” he said, rushing into his study and shutting the door. Mel looked at him quizzically, but he couldn’t meet her eyes.

“Draco,” Lucius said, coming out of the office. “He’s coming here. They’re all coming here – for a meeting.”

“No!” Draco said desperately. “Isn’t there anywhere else?” Lucius shook his head.

“You know we cannot question.”

“But Mel – I can’t,” Draco said, and Lucius stopped him.

“She’ll stay upstairs, and we will say nothing,” Lucius said. Draco took her hand and pulled Mel up, and they quickly climbed the stairs.

“What is happening?” she hissed, as they closed the door to his room.

“The Dark Lord – he’s coming here.” Draco said. “I’m so sorry, Mel. I didn’t think… I was so stupid.” Draco’s breath was coming in gasps, and he soon slid to the floor.

“Hey – it’s okay, it’s okay,” she said, gripping his shoulders. “He’s not going to know I’m here. He’s not going to do anything to me. You just need to go downstairs and do what you have to do, okay?” He nodded, walking to the bathroom and washing his face off.

“Okay. I’ll be back up as soon as I can.” He turned and left, trying to keep Mel out of his thoughts in the slightest. Before long, there were Death Eaters in the living room, all greeting one another and entering the long table in the sitting room that they reserved for these occasions. They all stood near their respective chairs, waiting for Voldemort. Finally, he arrived, Nagini slithering across the top of the table, and they sat.

“Welcome, everyone,” he said. “I’ll make it short this evening. We just need to hear how our plan to rid this world of Albus Dumbledore is going, Draco.” Draco felt panic rise in his throat as everyone’s eyes were on him.

“I have placed the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts – I’m repairing it, and it’s taking time, but it’s working. I’ll be done in early May, a few weeks before the end of the term,” Draco said, hearing his voice but not really feeling like it was coming from him.

“Excellent. Severus, I assume you will let us know when is the appropriate time to take advantage of this.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

“And I assume you will ensure that the cabinet is working correctly? It is a rather tricky bit of magic.”

“Yes, My Lord. I will assist Draco once we return to school.”

“I’m impressed, Draco. This is no small feat,” Voldemort said, and Draco said nothing, simply nodded. “You’re quiet tonight,” he observed. “I wonder if it’s because of the guest you have here, Draco, that you didn’t want to share with all of us.” While Draco kept his face neutral, he was screaming inside. “Your occlumency is good, but not that good,” he continued. “I wonder if you might bring her here so that we can get a proper introduction?”

“I… don’t think that’s necessary, My Lord,” Draco said, trying to sound casual. “She is not a part of this.” He glanced at his father for assistance and found none.

“I tend to agree, my Lord. She’s a rather… unimpressive American girl. Nothing of note,” Snape said, and Draco felt immense gratitude.

“Nonsense. Any friend of Draco’s is a friend of ours. Narcissa, won’t you go bring her to us?” Draco sat with his fists clenched, nails digging into his palms, as his mother wordlessly got up from the table and returned with Mel – who had an icy look on her face.

“Ah, what a lovely thing. And what is your name?” Voldemort asked, walking up to her. When Mel said nothing, his eyes narrowed. “Answer me, girl.”  
“Melanie Stewart,” she said finally, her voice sounding clear, unwavering.

“I can see why you wanted to keep her to yourself, Draco! Such a pretty thing,” he said, running a finger along her cheek, down her chin, and tracing from her shoulder to her hip. She stood frozen, without so much as a flinch. “But it really would be a pity not to share.”

“No,” Draco said, causing stares. “Please, My Lord,” he said, catching himself. “She does not need to be involved.”

“Oh, don’t fret, Draco. I’m not going to break your toy. Not when you have such an important mission ahead of you. However, I do look forward to all of us getting to know her better once this is over,” he said, grinning. “Come, Nagini,” he said, and disappeared. The rest followed, leaving only the Malfoys and Mel.

“Mel – are you okay?” Draco said, and she nodded, but darted out of the room. He glared at his parents. “You’re fucking cowards. You would have let him kill her,” he spat, before following Mel. She was in the bathroom, quickly stripping off her clothes.

“I just – need to get the feeling of him touching me off. And then you and I need to talk.” He sat on the bed, feeling hopeless as he waited. Finally, she emerged, looking pink and wrapped in a robe. She sat next to him. “I need you to tell me what this mission is,” she said quietly. He nodded.

“I have until the end of the year to kill Dumbledore,” he said plainly, and she said nothing, simply stared at the ground. “Please say something.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.

“It’s not exactly something I want to talk about. I don’t – I don’t want to,” he said, voice cracking. “I don’t even know if I can. But he’ll kill me, and my whole family, and probably you if I can’t.”

“You didn’t really tell me how entrenched in the Death Eaters you were when we started dating,” she said, and he sighed.

“I know. And I understand that you probably want nothing to do with me now. I’m sorry that I wasn’t truthful,” he said softly.

“Draco, I care about you,” she said. “I’m not going to break up with you or abandon you because you’re in this situation.”

“But you should,” he said.

“But I can’t. I just wish you would have told me sooner. And Draco…” she said, hesitating. “You know you can’t go through with it, right? You’re not that person.”

“What other choice do I have?” he asked, head in his hands.

“I can think of a very firm choice that you have. When we get back to school, you need to talk to Dumbledore. Tell him the truth – he is the only person who can help you.”

“Mel, I can’t – he’ll kill me, my mother – he’ll find out.”

“No he won’t,” she said firmly. “He’s essentially the leader of the resistance. Besides, what other choice do you have? Become a killer? Become your father?” she asked. “I will stand by you through this, but I cannot be a part of that.” He nodded.

“Okay. I’ll do it.” As much as he didn’t want to, the idea of becoming his father was horrifying. He knew it was a real possibility, and so when he went to sleep that night, and on the train the next day, tried to garner the courage he’d need to talk to him.

The day he got back, after dinner, Draco spotted Dumbledore heading toward his office, and followed him. Once they were out of sight of the other students, he called out to him.

“Professor,” Draco said, and he stopped. “Professor – I need to talk to you,” Draco said, fingernails in his palms again. He was quickly creating scars.

“Come in,” he said simply, and then, “Acid Pops.” The door to his office opened, and they walked inside. “Sit,” he said, gesturing to his desk. “What can I do for you, Mr. Malfoy?” Draco opened his mouth but nothing came out, and he took a deep breath.

“This summer, before school… my father and the other Death Eaters forced me to take the Dark Mark,” he said flatly, and he hated how shaky his voice sounded. He paused, and Dumbledore said nothing, letting him continue. “And then the Dark Lord – he gave me a mission. Said that if I fail, he’ll kill me, my family, everyone. And that mission… is to kill you. Before the end of the term,” he said, feeling breathless. Dumbledore’s eyes bore into his skull, and he couldn’t meet them.

“Somehow, I don’t think that you telling me brings you any closer to meeting that goal,” Dumbledore said, prompting him.

“I can’t – I don’t want to –“ Draco struggled. “I’m not a killer,” he said finally. Dumbledore nodded.

“I can see that, Mr. Malfoy. You never have been, though I know your family situation has been fraught. However, we can help each other,” he said, and from within the shadows, a figure appeared. Severus, his godfather. Draco felt bile rise in his throat as he pictured Snape reporting back to the Dark Lord what he’d done.

“No – Professor, he’s a Death Eater, he’s working with the Dark Lord and he’s going to turn me in,” Draco said desperately, feeling frantic.

“Draco,” Snape said slowly. “You just made a decision that I made about fifteen years ago.”

“What?”

“I, too, came to Dumbledore to seek protection - for Lily Potter. In exchange for trying to protect Harry, I’ve been working with him to overthrow the Dark Lord for about as long,” he said. “We are on the same team.”

“We can help you, Draco,” Dumbledore said. “But it won’t be easy. We need a commitment from you that anything you say in this room will be privy to no one.”

“What about –“

“Miss Stewart? What do you think, Severus?”

“Have her make the Vow too,” he replied. “I hardly think that Draco will be able to follow through with this otherwise.”

“Very well. Tomorrow, Mr. Malfoy – bring Miss Stewart with you, and we’ll make an Unbreakable Vow. Then we’ll tell you our plan.” He nodded slowly.

“Thank you,” he said, and moved to get up.

“Mr. Malfoy,” Dumbledore said. “You’re doing the right thing,” he said, nodding. Draco gave a single nod in response and left the room, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Mel was waiting for him outside, and he told her the response.

“I’m proud of you. We’ll get through this together, okay? I’ll help you with the unbreakable vow. Whatever you need.”

Draco and Mel entered Dumbledore’s office together, Mel gripping his hand tightly.

“Mr. Malfoy, Miss Stewart – I trust you’ve had a pleasant day,” Dumbledore said lightly. Both stared at him, and he continued. “Well, best get this out of the way. Mr. Malfoy first, I think. Please grasp Severus’s hand. Draco did so.

“Do you swear to keep the contents of these meetings absolutely private, sharing them with no one except for the occupants of this room, until the task is completed?”

“I do,” Draco said, his voice sounding shaky. Mel did the same, but her voice sounded clear as day.

“Thank you both. I recognize this extra step may feel unnecessary, but it is essential, nonetheless,” Dumbledore said. “Well, I think that’s it for the evening – Mr. Malfoy, please come back tomorrow, and we’ll fill you in.”


	7. Apologies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thanks for reading so far :) 
> 
> TW: Anxiety and Panic Attacks

The following evening, Draco arrived at Dumbledore’s office, where Snape was waiting for him. Together, they entered the room and sat across from Dumbledore.

“Draco, Severus tells me that you’ve been able to successfully master Occlumency with him in years prior, which is excellent news. Now Draco, there’s something that I must share, and I do apologize for keeping you in the dark up to this point.” He held up his hand, which Draco had noticed was black and burnt, and unusable. However, this time, Dumbledore lifted his sleeve, showing Draco how the black, shriveled skin had spread up to his arm, and was beginning to move across his chest. “During my journey to defeat Lord Voldemort, I’m afraid I was bested by one of his tricks. What began as a burnt hand has slowly spread to the rest of my body. I’m dying, Draco, and it won’t be long now.” Draco was stunned. Despite the blackened hand, Dumbledore had seemed no different - airy, cheerful, focused - than before. “What this means, Draco, is that I would like you to use my death as a way to further our eventual goal of defeating Lord Voldemort.”

“I don’t understand...” 

“I need you to kill me, Draco. At the end of school. We’re going to tell everyone that Severus was the one who did it, but it must be you - in order to protect you both. I cannot explain why, but if must be you. We’ll spend tonight discussing the details. But this way, you and Severus will remain undiscovered, you will cement your place in the inner circle and all three of you - Ms. Stewart included - will be safe. It is the only way.” 

“Professor, I can’t... I can’t kill you,” Draco said helplessly. 

“My boy, I am already on the way there. Merely consider it helping me over to the other side,” he said kindly. “Now, we’ll discuss details - we want the other Death Eaters to know that you helped, in order to secure their trust, but I do not want you to take the fall for it, Draco. That’s why Severus will flee the school shortly afterward. Your part in our larger plan relies on your ability to return to Hogwarts... among other things. You’ll allow everyone to believe that Severus was the one who killed me. Now, the one weak spot to this plan is your familiar adversary, Draco. Harry Potter.”

“Why would Potter be there?”

“Harry and I have another related matter to attend to that evening. We will be returning right as the Death Eaters descend upon the school. I fear that he will be present when you’ll need to act. That’s why, when we return to the school, I am going to give Harry two final pieces of advice - get Severus to help me, and to trust you, Draco. That anything that happens is the way I intended.” 

“He’s never going to buy that - he’s never going to trust me,” Draco protested. 

“He will understand,” Dumbledore assured sternly. “You can reveal yourself to him as undercover, but do not out Severus. That night, you will find a way to get the Death Eaters into the school. Harry and I will return - we will go to the Astronomy tower. You will join us, along with Severus, and then you will kill me. Afterward, Voldemort will assign you back to Hogwarts, to keep things in order here. Severus will suggest it. Your job, for however long it takes until the final battle, Draco, is to stay undercover - while protecting the students running the resistance here. To the unpolished eye, you will be exactly what they all think you are - a Death Eater, carrying out Voldemort’s wishes. But you will be working with the resistance - ensuring they are safe, helping them in any way. I will not sugar coat it - it will be a very dangerous role. But I feel you are prepared to play it well. With Ms. Stewart assisting you, you’ll be able to do a lot of good.”

“No.” Draco said. “I see my role in this. I can deal with risking my own life. But I cannot involve Melanie in this and risk hers too.” Dumbledore smiled faintly. 

“I appreciate the valiant desire to protect her, Draco. But with her talent and her family’s past, I do not think the likes of you will be able to stop her from playing a major role here. This is your best bet to ensure that she stays safe.” Draco looked at Snape, praying for a different response, but he, too, nodded. “I recognize this is a lot to take in, Draco. Take a few days off, clear your head. We’ll meet again to discuss the logistics once more.”

Stiffly, Draco rose and quickly escaped down the hallway, where he had a short walk to the Room of Requirement. Inside, Mel waited for him. Once he set his eyes on her, he collapsed on the couch, feeling like he was unable to breathe, gasping for air. 

“Draco - Draco! It’s okay - try to slow your breathing. You’re having a panic attack,” Mel said, cradling his head in her lap. Tears began to stream down his face as he tried to steady himself, to no avail. The room felt like it was closing in. They stayed like that for a while, Draco huddled in Mel’s lap, desperately trying to catch his breath. Finally, he felt his heart rate return to normal. Once he was able, he told her everything. 

“Oh, Draco,” she said, embracing him again. “You don’t have to do that - we can find another way -”

“We can’t Mel. Like Dumbledore said. This is the only way.” 

“I want to protect you,” she said desperately. 

“I said the same - to which Dumbledore reminded me that you’d be fighting too. I don’t think that we can protect each other... or anyone. The only way to do that is to end this.”

“I don’t want you to have to do that,” Mel said, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “That’s…”

“I know,” he said, feeling utterly morose. “I know.”

“What did you get for six?” Draco asked. They were working on their Transfiguration homework in an empty classroom in the dungeons since it was so late. He hadn’t been able to sleep in months, with his mind constantly racing, filled with thoughts of dying an unpleasant death at the hands of the Death Eaters.

“It’s almost three. Do you want to put the work away for a while? Maybe just talk, or hang out instead?” Mel asked, reaching for his hand.

“It’s a good distraction,” he said, pulling his hand back, but she refused to let it go.

“I’m not going to let you run yourself ragged like this. Come on – we’re going up to the Astronomy Tower.” She dragged him to his feet and out the door, and they began climbing the stairs.

“Let the record show that I’m going against my will,” he said dryly and she rewarded him with a smile.

“You’ve made your way through all of the homework for most of the year, Drake. You need a break.” With a wave of her wand, she conjured a daybed, covered in blankets to ward out the cold. “Let’s look at the constellations.”

“What about them?”

“Tell me more of them. I like to hear you talk about it, and you know I don’t know anything. Tell me about the constellations your family is named after.”

“Well, this one is mine,” he said, taking her hand and pointing it at a group of stars.

“I remember,” she said, giving him a quick kiss. “My favorite.” He couldn’t help but let a hint of a smile cross his lips as well.

“So here, this one is Sirius. He was my cousin – and Potter’s godfather, actually. He died last year,” he said, feeling somber. “I barely knew him, though. And there’s his brother, Regulus,” he said, moving her hand again.

“Would you like to name your children after a constellation?” she asked, palm on his cheek.

“Well right now, it doesn’t look like I’ll be surviving long enough to have children,” he scoffed, and she rolled her eyes.

“Drama queen. You know I hate it when you talk like that,” she said gently, kissing his forehead.

“I know, I’m sorry,” he said, feeling guilt and shame. He hated to make her feel like this – like his therapist more than his girlfriend. “I know I haven’t been very pleasant to be around as of late.”

“I like you even when you’re miserable,” she said, and he threaded his fingers through her hair, drawing her closer to him.

“I’m not sure I will ever understand why you are with me,” Draco said, looking out at the sky. “There are guys ready to kill me just to get a shot at you – and don’t say there aren’t, because they just haven’t approached you because they’re afraid of me,” he said, stopping her as she protested. “Seriously though, Mel. I am… not very fun to be around. I come with a lot of baggage, a family name associated with the Dark Lord, a nasty reputation at this school. You could be with someone better – Theo, Blaise, Potter even. You should be with someone better,” he said quietly.

“You’re an idiot too – you forgot that one,” she said, pressing her lips to his knuckles.

“I just don’t understand. Why me? Do you have a death wish? Do you like the adrenaline? Are you just looking for someone to fix?” He met her eyes finally, and she was staring at him with an unreadable expression in her eyes.

“I’m with you because I love you,” she said finally, though the look on her face was more nervous than besotted. He froze – they’d expressed their feelings to one another over Christmas, but they hadn’t said the words. Hearing them out loud somehow made everything more final, more real. He did love her, of course – more than he could explain – but the words were stuck in his mouth. He knew he couldn’t say them – verbalizing it was like admitting that he had a weakness, and that terrified him. Instead, he pulled her into a firm kiss, trying to convey everything he felt physically that he couldn’t say verbally. But when he pulled away, he could see there was still hope in her eyes, and she was looking at him expectantly, wanting more. He sighed.

“I’m sorry,” he said instead. His heart shattered as he watched the hope leave her eyes and a flicker of disappointment crossed her face. But she hid it well – she always did – and replaced it with indifference instead.

“I know,” she replied quietly. He pulled her in again and she responded, but more hesitantly, before she pulled away. “Time for bed?”

“Sure,” he said. They walked back to the room, hand in hand, in silence. He kissed her at the bottom of the girls’ staircase. “Mel…” he said hesitantly.

“I know, Drake. It’s fine, really,” she said, and kissed him one more time before disappearing into the dormitory. He didn’t follow suit, however. Instead, he sat in front of the fire in the common area until it was light, thinking about how much he hated himself for pulling Mel into this mess with him. For not being enough for her, for not giving her what she deserved.

“Can you help me with this?” Pansy asked, passing a ball of yarn to Mel. “It’s supposed to be a whole jumper, but I cannot manage it for the life of me. Mel took it, absentmindedly waving her wand over the yarn and transfiguring it easily. Pansy eyed her suspiciously. “You seem…off today.”

“Just tired,” Mel said casually, flipping through the pages of a textbook. Ginny, who sat next to Pansy across the table, put her hand on the book.

“I know I’m going to have to drag it out of you eventually, so why don’t you just make it easy and tell us what’s wrong?” Ginny said. Mel pulled at her hair, before finally meeting the eyes of her friends.

“I told Draco I loved him, and he didn’t say it back.”

“That’s ridiculous! Of course he loves you,” Pansy said. “He’s such an idiot sometimes.”

“It feels awful,” Mel confessed. “And I know I’m being weird about it, but I can’t help it. I just wasn’t expecting it.”

“So what did he say instead?” Ginny asked.

“Well, he kissed me right after. And then he said,” Mel grimaced, “I’m sorry.” The two girls were silent.

“He didn’t,” Pansy said. “He is so dramatic.”

“That is the saddest, yet most dramatic thing I’ve ever heard,” Ginny agreed. “Who hurt you that you love men like this?”

“Many, many people,” Mel said. “But enough about that. How do I make myself act normal again?”

“You know he loves you, Mel. I know he wishes he could say it to you. So just… stick it out. Act like he told you. Keep being there for him,” Pansy said with a shrug. “It’s all you can do.” Mel sat at the table, chin on her fist, wishing things were different.

After a few more weeks of awkwardness, Mel couldn’t take it anymore.

“I have an idea,” Mel said at breakfast one morning. “I think we need to go out. Have some fun. You lot are starting to look like a funeral march.”

“If you haven’t noticed, there’s a war going on here. And no one is really very fond of us right now,” Blaise snapped. It was true – the Slytherins were really ostracized from the rest of the school these days.

“Well, what if we went somewhere we weren’t recognized?”

“And where would that be?” Pansy asked, intrigued.

“Don’t shoot me down before I say it,” Mel said, holding up her hands. “But I was thinking we could sneak out and go to a club. Go dancing. Maybe in London.”

“I thought you said we wouldn’t be recognized? Everyone will recognize us there.”

“What if we went to Muggle London?” Mel asked, and they groaned.

“You really had me for a second. Who are you kidding? What one of us would want to set foot in a Muggle establishment?”

“I talked to a few of the Ravenclaws. There’s a club there – supposedly really fun, actually – and they offered to let us use their doctored passports. We’ll just add our photos with a quick charm.” The group was silent, still unsure. “Come on, Pans. Tell me you don’t want an excuse to sneak out, dress up, get drunk and snog a stranger?”

“I would like that. But not a… Muggle stranger,” she said.

“The great thing about clubs is that there’s no way to know the difference, once their tongue is down your throat,” she said with a grin.

“Hey,” Draco said tightly, and Pansy laughed.

“I guess I’d go if everyone else went,” Pansy said lightly, noncommittally. Nott nodded as well, likely hoping to be the one she snogged.

“Doesn’t sound terrible.”

“Blaise – I know you’ve been waiting for an excuse to wear that leather jacket you got for Christmas,” Mel said, eyeing him. He rolled his eyes.

“Fine. I will need to get copiously, ridiculously drunk in order to deal with it. But I’ll go.”

“Excellent! It’s official then. We’ll sneak out through the tunnels tonight at ten thirty,” Mel said, grasping Draco’s hand in delight. He pulled her away from the table.

“I don’t want to go to a club in Muggle London,” Draco hissed.

“Why not?” she asked, confused. “You said you would try something fun.”

“This isn’t what I meant. You know I’m not particularly fond of Muggles,” he said.

“I thought that was the belief that your family had. Not that you had,” she asked, pulling her hand back.

“It’s not like I think they should be killed, or anything. But you have to admit – we are a bit better than they are. I mean, they can’t do magic.”

“Draco,” she said, sounding disgusted with him. “My Mom is – was – a Muggle. You know that. You think you’re better than she is?”

“That’s not what I meant,” he said, but she rolled her eyes. “You honestly don’t feel that way?”

“Of course not! I lived in a Muggle neighborhood. Seriously, Draco. Muggles are just different – not better, not worse.” She stared at him for a bit. “Have you ever actually had a full conversation with a Muggle? Other than ordering one around – at a restaurant or other?”

“We would never go to a Muggle restaurant,” Draco said quickly. “And no, okay? I haven’t.”

“Figures. Okay – we’re going tonight. I will not be with someone that looks down on my family like that. If you don’t want to come, don’t. But that’s it for us then,” she said stonily.

“Mel – what? Of course I’ll come. But why are you taking this so seriously?”

“Because it’s wrong, Draco! More than just the fact that it’s my family – you are not better than anyone. My Mom was amazing,” Mel said defensively.

“I’m sorry. I just… don’t know anything else,” he said. She nodded.

“I know. That’s why I’m trying to be understanding. But think for yourself. I’m going to invite Ginny to come with us tonight – I’ll see you in class.”

Draco was drinking Firewhiskey morosely with Blaise and Nott in their dorm.

“What is the face? Seriously Malfoy, we’re going to a club where you’re going to get to get pissed and grind on your girlfriend all night. Try to look a little pleased,” Blaise said. “Otherwise, I’ll be happy to take on the task.”

“You’re not bothered by this? A Muggle club?” he asked. The other two shrugged.

“I mean, I assume it’s like Mel said. Once the lights are off and there’s alcohol, how different could it really be?” Nott said. “Come on – we should go meet them.” They descended the stairs to see the girls in the empty common room. As unenthused about the night as he was, Draco had to admit Mel looked incredible. She was wearing a tiny black dress that showed off the tattoo on her thigh and the one on her shoulder, and her hair hung down her back in loose curls.

“You guys know Ginny, right?” Mel said, glancing at Blaise and Nott. They nodded. “And this is Cho – she’s in Ravenclaw.” Nott whistled at them all, and Mel rolled her eyes. “Don’t be gross, Theo. Unbecoming. Okay, let’s go.”

Once they were outside of the castle walls, they Apparated in groups, those who were over 17 splitting the younger ones. When they arrived in front of a crowded club, they immediately got into line, where Mel passed out the passports and their converted Muggle money.

“These look amazing,” Cho said, who was familiar with a Muggle passport. Mel smiled, and pulled something out of her bag.

“What is that?” Draco asked, and Mel snorted.

“It’s a cellphone, Drake. How Muggles communicate. I don’t know how Wizards go without them, honestly. It’s a ton quicker than Owls. I never get the chance to use it, I wouldn’t dare at the castle. In case of an emergency.”

“Hm,” he said, unimpressed, but wrapped his arm around her back. Once they reached the bouncers, they passed in the passports, and they let them all inside easily.

“Bar,” Mel said, and she grabbed both Pansy and Ginny’s hands, ordering them cocktails. Draco looked around at the lights, at the bright music. Mel returned, passing him a cup and smiling at him. “Not too bad, right?”

“No,” he agreed, taking a sip of the whiskey she’d gotten him. “You look amazing, by the way,” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist. They all had a drink before Pansy came back with shots – lots of shots – and soon they were laughing and hanging on each other, feeling loose from the music and the alcohol. Pansy was dragging them out to dance, and despite himself, Draco was having fun. They stayed in a group for a while, dancing, before they began to break off. Ginny was whisked away by a group of Muggle girls who thought she was an amazing dancer and bought her drinks for the rest of the night. Cho found a ridiculously fit Muggle who she had seemingly entranced – Draco wondered if it wasn’t a hint of magic. Nott and Pansy were snogging against the club wall sooner than he’d thought, and Blaise currently had his arms around the waist of a shorter, muscular man.

“This is fun,” Mel said, as she danced against him in a way that made his legs feel weak. As she pushed into him, he groaned. He took her hand and dragged her away from the rest of the group, towards the rest of the club, where he pressed her against a wall and kissed her deeply. Mel glanced sideways as he kissed her neck, grinning as she spotted a back door. Before Draco knew what was happening, she’d pulled him outside and closed the door behind her with a bit of magic. Although the alley behind the club was empty, Mel cast a Disillusionment charm, just in case. And then they were kissing again, more fervently than before. Draco felt Mel’s hands graze his belt, fingers resting on the buckle.

“What are you doing?” he murmured in between kisses. She said nothing, just kissed back and quickly undid his belt, reaching down and into his pants. “Mel, Merlin.” Before long, she was on her knees with him in her mouth, looking up at him wickedly. “You’re so bad. So, so bad,” he said, letting out a soft moan. By the time she was finished, he was absolutely wrecked, hair mussed, face pink. She stood back up, fixing her dress, and ran her fingers through his hair.

“Your hair is messy,” she observed with a smirk.

“Salazar. Seriously, Mel. That was… fucking amazing,” he said, still feeling breathless. She laughed. “You are so much more than I thought you’d be. Every time I’m with you, you fucking blow my mind,” he said, leaning in so that their faces were close. He was drunk – on whiskey, on lust, on her, and he was wrapped up in the feeling. “I lo-“

“No!” Mel said, panicked, putting a hand over his mouth. “You haven’t said it yet. You’re not going to say it to me after we just hooked up in an alley, when you’re drunk. You’re going to mean it. I deserve that.”

“I do mean it,” he murmured, kissing her neck.

“Well, tell me another time,” she said, but with a hint of a smile on her face. “Come on. Let’s go back inside.” When they returned to the group, they found them in a similar state of disarray. Cho was wrapped in the Muggle’s lap, while Blaise was emerging from the bathroom with the guy from before. Pansy and Theo were still snogging, somehow, but they separated just enough to talk to Mel and Draco

“Finally back from having sex in the back of the club?” Pansy asked, unmoving. Mel grinned.

“What’s it to you?” she asked. “We should probably be going soon.”

“Why don’t you come back with me to my apartment, love?” the man asked, his arms wrapped around Cho's waist. She flashed her eyes at Mel, who hid a grin.

“Unfortunately, I cannot. We need to get back,” Cho said.

“Well, do you have a phone number?” he asked desperately.

“I don’t,” she said, glancing at Mel.

“She’s off the grid,” Mel said, taking her hand and helping her out of his grasp. Ginny joined them, slamming into them with such enthusiasm.

“This was the best night of my life,” she said enthusiastically, face pink.

“Okay, champ. Let’s collect our crowd and get out of here.” Pansy gripped her waist, and they made their way back to the castle, giggling as they made their way through the tunnels. Once they got into the common room, they began to pair off again, with most of the group going to the Slytherin boys’ dorm.

“Aw, you all get to stay here together! I want to hang out,” Ginny said, pouting.

"Sleep in my bed, Ginny!" Mel cried with a smirk. Blaise, Draco, Mel, Theo and Pansy entered the bedroom, and the latter two entered his bed immediately and cast a silencing charm.

“They’re no fun,” Blaise said, grinning. He flopped on his bed, and Mel quickly got under the covers of Draco’s. “Mel – amazing recommendation for the Muggle club. Best head I’ve ever gotten in my life. Maybe I’ll be a regular customer.”

“I second that.”

“See Drake, I told you it would be fun,” Mel said, running her fingers through his hair.

“No, I meant the head comment. Who knew Muggle clubs were so good for that?” he said cheekily, and Mel blushed and looked indignant, while Blaise roared with laughter.

“Hey!” Mel said, whacking them both with the pillow. “Maybe I should go back to the girl’s side, jerk.”

“Don’t you dare,” Draco said, pinning her down. He grabbed his wand and closed the curtains. “Night Blaise!” he shouted, before casting a silencing charm.

The next morning, Draco woke up to a sleepy Mel stroking his hair.

“Morning,” she said, fingertips tracing his lips and the lines of his face instead. He smiled softly, looking into the blue eyes he was so familiar with by now. He leaned over, reached for his wand, and cast another silencing charm. “Really? Again, even after last night?”

“No – I just didn’t want to be overheard,” he said, brushing her hair behind her ear. “What I said last night – what I almost said last night,” he said, pausing. She looked at him expectantly. “I love you.” Her beautiful face broke into a smile.

“I love you too,” she said, pressing her lips to his. He breathed out a sigh of relief. “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“It was,” he said in between kisses. “You know that it was. It was just getting hard not to let it slip out at – inopportune moments.” She smirked.

“Sorry that I refused to let you say it while I was on my knees in an alley.”

“But I loved you so much in that moment,” he said, pulling her close as she laughed. “Do you want to get some breakfast? And then… I need to work on it.” His eyes darkened, along with his mood. She put her hand on his cheek.

“Hey – can’t you take the day off? You’re supposed to be happy today. We’re in love,” she said, and though Draco could tell she meant it as a joke, it was hard for it not to come off seriously.

“You know I can’t.”

“It’s just not fair,” she said, big eyes blinking at him. “Do you want help?”

“No,” he said quickly. “You know I don’t want you anywhere near this. Come on,” he said, trying to put on a good face. “I’m starving.”

“Let me get dressed. This isn’t exactly a breakfast outfit,” she said, kissing his forehead lightly, and darting over to her dorm. Pansy, already back, and Ginny sat in her bed, waiting.

“Walk of shame,” Pansy said, smirk on her face.

“Does Malfoy always have to do that to your neck? Like – we get it. You’re shagging,” Ginny said. Mel absentmindedly pointed her wand at her neck and performed a quick glamor, before beginning to plait her hair.

“What?” Pansy asked, scanning her face.

“Nothing,” Mel said, slipping out of her dress and into a jumper and jeans. “I just wish I could make it easier for him sometimes, you know? He’s just always so in his own head. He can’t even be happy for five whole minutes.”

“I know,” Pansy said quietly. “If it makes you feel better, this is the happiest he's been in a few years, with you.”

“It makes me feel worse, actually,” Mel said, tying a pair of sneakers. “Thinking about him doing worse than this.”

“I feel that way about Harry,” Ginny said, speaking up suddenly. She usually avoided talking about him too much with Pansy and Mel. “There’s so much I don’t understand, and I never will. I won’t be able to help him.”

“Well, you both do the best you can,” Pansy said lightly. “Come on, let’s get to breakfast.” Ginny left to go back to Gryffindor, and Pansy moved to leave before Mel grabbed her wrist.

“Pans – he told me he loved me this morning.”

“Why don’t you look happy? I know you love him.”

“It’s really hard to love someone like this. Every time it’s about us, and we’re happy, or we’re talking, we always come back to it. Always. It just… hurts. I feel helpless.”

“Damaged men,” Pansy said, touching her shoulder sympathetically. “You can’t fix him. You can just be there with him, and try not to get too damaged yourself.” Mel nodded, and they returned downstairs, where the boys waited for them.

“I liked the other clothes better,” Draco said, kissing her temple when she approached him. She gave him only a quick smile, but took his hand as they walked into the Great Hall. He said nothing, only eating quickly and disappearing to the Room of Requirement once he was finished. Mel stayed at the table and watched him go, before looking down into her mug of tea. Pansy squeezed her hand and she wished, not for the first time, that she could take Draco far away from here. 


	8. Permanently Altered

Once May hit, there was nothing Mel could do to stop the inevitable. Draco was more and more anxious each day, and she’d started sleeping with him in the boys’ dorm or in the room of requirement every night. When he awoke, crying, from nightmares, she stroked his hair until he fell back asleep. She, however, would stay awake for much longer, cursing Voldemort and all he’d done to ruin Draco’s life – to ruin her life. She only hoped that the night would go as planned, and that afterwards, Harry would be able to do what he needed to. She wasn’t sure how much longer Draco could go on like this.

“Professor, you wanted to see me?” Draco asked, as he entered Dumbledore’s office the night before their plan was set to take place. 

“Draco, yes. I just wanted to see how you were doing. To check in.” 

“I’m... okay. Though I’m surprised that you’re choosing to spend tonight with me,” Draco said. 

“You’re quickly becoming a brave young man, Draco. Who better to spend the time with?” Draco hesitated.

“What if... I’m not brave? I’m not doing this because I’m good – I’m doing this for Mel. Just for her.” He hesitated. “What if I can’t do it - or what if I don’t mind doing it because I’m...” 

“Evil?” Dumbledore finished. “No, I don’t think you’re evil, Draco. But I know that my thoughts won’t convince you. Come here, with me.” Draco helped Dumbledore to his feet, and they crossed his office. Walking into a nearby room, he saw a large mirror on the wall. He could see his reflection - but he looked different, and Dumbledore was no longer beside him. 

“This is the Mirror of Erised, Draco. It will show you the truest, deepest desire you have. Tell me, what do you see?” 

“I see myself. I’m with Melanie. We – we look happy. Peaceful,” he said, his voice cracking.

“Do you see anything else? Any sign of a powerful position, any impure desires?”

“No – that’s it.”

“That does not sound like the desire of someone who is evil to me, Draco,” Dumbledore said gently. “No matter what happens tomorrow, hold onto that. To this.” Draco nodded, still overwhelmed. “I’ll leave you here for a few more moments. Take your time,” he said, walking slowly out of the room. Draco examined the scene with wonder as soon as he was alone. He looked happy in the mirror, standing by Melanie’s side. He kissed her cheek and she looked at him with love. He thought of the image for the entire night, when he couldn’t sleep. It played like a film in his head. 

The next morning, Draco rose with the knowledge that it could be his last. Despite this, everything was... the same. He went downstairs with Blaise to breakfast, and ate in silence, looking at the Great Hall. He knew that it would never be like this again. He had Potions with Mel that morning, and gave her a kiss when he slid into the table beside her. 

“Hi, love,” he said, smiling tiredly. 

“You look exhausted,” she said. “Did you sleep at all?”

“A bit, yeah,” he lied. 

“We should have got you some sleeping draught - I’ll brew some after class today for you tonight,” she said, fussing over him.

“As long as you don’t leave the dungeon,” he said. 

“I don’t know if I can promise that,” she said. “You know I can protect myself. I can’t hide away.” He sighed, wanting badly to start an argument with her but not wanting her to be mad at him in case something went wrong tonight. Which it easily could. 

“Good morning, students! Today, we’re brewing Amortentia - a tradition for all sixth year students. Difficult to brew and dangerous if consumed, the smell of the potion is unique to each person, and includes three things that are most attractive to each person. There will be no testing of each potion, but we will all smell the most successful one.” Mel and Draco, a well-oiled machine at this point, each picked up a few items and began the preparation.

“What do you think yours will smell like?” Mel asked. 

“What do you smell like?” he asked, making her smile. She passed him the ground rose petals, which he added to the potion, stirring gently. She squeezed his hand under the table. “Could you grind up the peppercorn?” She nodded, not stopping until it was an exceptionally fine powder. Gently shaking it in, the potion began to steam. With the addition of the final ingredient - sage leaves - it had turned pink, and shiny, and the steam rose higher and higher. 

“As always, Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Stewart have produced a perfect potion. Please, bring it up to the front!” Slughorn said. Draco picked up the cauldron and gently placed it down on Slughorn’s desk. “Now, as our first two, you have the honor of being the first to smell the potion.” Draco stepped back and allowed Mel to lean over the cauldron. 

“I smell... fresh snow, apple pie, and...” she glanced sideways at Draco, smiling, “Something else.” He smiled. 

“Mr. Malfoy! Up next.”

“I’m not really sure if -” 

“Nonsense! No need to be embarrassed about love, son. Take a whiff.” Draco stepped up, cautiously. 

“I smell... fresh snow, ink,” he paused. “And orchid perfume.” 

“How lovely - matching Amortentia scents! That’s rather romantic, don’t we think? The future looks bright for you two!” Draco looked at his feet, and Mel quickly walked back over to their bench, where she packed up their things and began to walk out. Draco could see she was upset, though she was trying to hide it.

“How do you feel about skipping the rest of the day?” he asked. She grasped his hand as they walked to the Room of Requirement. The vanishing cabinet stood in the corner of the room, taunting him. As Draco placed his bags down, he could see that Mel had tears running down her face. 

“Sorry, I’m fine. I don’t know why I’m the one crying,” she said, wiping her face. “It’s just... so unfair.” He nodded. 

“I know, love. I also don’t want you to get your hopes up. Even if we make it through tonight, the next few months will be... difficult.” 

“Yeah. Well, let’s just not think about that right now,” she said. She kissed his neck, and started with the buttons on his shirt. He allowed his mind to finally go blank as they had slow, passionate sex that he could tell neither of them wanted to end. Whispering declarations of love, it finally did. They stayed in the room for the rest of the day, with Draco falling into fits of sleep, and Mel brewing a sleeping potion she knew he would need later that night. Finally, at around nine, Draco turned to Mel. 

“As much as I hate to see you go, I think it’s time I waited here alone.”

“I don’t want you just sitting here by yourself,” she protested.

“Please, Mel. If you refuse to stay in the common room tonight, at least give me this.” Conceding, she nodded. He wrapped her in his arms, and gave her a final kiss. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too - no matter what happens tonight,” she said. Exiting quietly, she walked down to her common room, which was still filled with students doing work. She sat down in vigil, waiting for 11PM. 

At 10:45, Draco heard a noise in the vanishing cabinet. Opening the door, the Carrows, along with Yaxley and Fenrir, appeared. 

“One more time - our plan is to kill Dumbledore - not kill Hogwarts students. Let’s not forget why we’re here.”

“What, afraid we’re going to seek out your girl, Malfoy?” One of the Carrows said. He whipped around. 

“I wasn’t, but if one curse goes her way, I’ll kill you,” Draco said pleasantly. “Thanks for the reminder.” They split up, the Carrows and Draco heading to the Astronomy tower. Hiding in the shadows, the siblings stood guard down the hallway, while Draco stood right outside of the door. He heard fumbling, and then a landing - hard inside of the tower, and then Harry Potter’s voice. 

“Professor, we need to get you to the hospital wing,” he said. 

“No, Harry. I need you to get me Professor Snape. No one else,” he said. “And Harry... I need you to do something for me. I need you to trust Draco Malfoy - he has my best interests at heart.” Draco’s stomach dropped hearing his name. 

“Professor - what does that mean - I don’t understand -” Harry said. At that moment, the Carrows heard his voice, and began moving down the hallway.

“Stand guard here. Don’t let anyone up except Snape.” Draco took a deep breath and entered the room, quickly disarming Dumbledore. He saw Harry immobilized on the floor - as discussed.

Suddenly, there was a scream from somewhere in the building. Snape burst through the door. 

“We’ve been discovered. We need to move quickly. The Order will be here soon.” Draco took a deep breath, looking into Dumbledore’s blue, glassy eyes. He could see the man was unwell - not long for this world, as he had put it previously. Still, it didn’t make this any easier. He raised his wand, hand shaking visibly. Dumbledore nodded to him. 

“Draco, my boy...” he said, trailing off. “You know what you need to do.” Draco heard footsteps in the hallway and knew the time to hesitate was over. He felt the reverberations in his chest and throughout the room as the curse left his lips. With the flash of green light leaving his wand, Draco knew that the course of his life had been permanently altered. There was no turning back now. He watched as the curse hit Dumbledore’s frail body, lifting him up and moving him across the room. Even before his body froze in mid-air before falling limp to the ground, Draco knew he was gone.

The Carrows ran into the room, seeing the body. 

“Didn’t think you’d have the balls, to be honest,” one of the Carrows said. Draco didn’t respond. 

“I didn’t. It was Snape. Go get Fenrir and Yaxley. You need to go,” he said finally. Once he was alone in the room with Snape, he removed the cloak from Potter, and Snape unfroze him, before ducking out of the room. Unsurprisingly, Potter fired several curses at him, screaming at Draco - but he felt numb. 

“Potter, listen. Remember what Dumbledore said, please,” Draco said. “You need to stop and listen and trust me for a moment.” Harry stopped moving, and his shoulders shrugged, dejected. “I promise I will explain everything, but right now there are four Death Eaters lose in Hogwarts, and we need to get them the fuck out of here. Okay?” Harry nodded. “Okay, can you promise not to curse me at least until after they’re gone? Then you can do what you want.”

“Fine. Let’s go.” The two raced down the hallway, hearing a full-on battle going on in the Great Hall. As they got closer, to Draco’s dismay he could tell that Ginny and Mel were among the students dueling. He assumed Mel had been waiting for him and was now defending Ginny, but he saw red. The Carrows were firing Unforgivable curses, and Fenrir was backing the group into a corner. 

“ _Hey!_ ” Draco shouted. “ _What did I say?_ ” He watched in horror as Fenrir got closer and closer to Mel, before a member of the Order got in the middle. He saw Amycus Carrow fire a curse at Ginny Weasley, and swiftly blocked it. She, Harry and a member of the Order looked at him with confusion. Finally, the group retreated - back up to the Astronomy tower. Draco saw them escape on brooms, along with Snape while Fenrir fled into the forest, and let out a sigh. The scene was still pandemonium, but Draco knew the real danger was over. Suddenly, he was pulled down an abandoned hallway by a faceless figure, who then held a wand to his throat. 

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now,” Harry whispered, jabbing Draco with the wand. 

“Because I was working with him,” Draco said flatly. “I am a Death Eater - but I’m working with both sides. I was given a mission at the beginning of the year to kill Dumbledore. I went to him for help, and he told me he was dying.”

“Dying - he wasn’t dying.” Harry said angrily. “You murdered him.”

“His hand, Potter. The blackened hand. It had spread - almost over his whole body. He had weeks, if that. He told me he wanted me to kill him so I could cement my place in the inner circle. Now I can stay at school here, protecting the resistance from the inside.” Potter slowly lowered his wand. 

“How can I believe you?” he asked finally. The two stood finally, eye to eye. 

“Because you know how I feel about Mel. I'm not a hero - I am incredibly selfish, and what I want is her. I would do just about anything for both of us to come out on the other side of this,” he finished. Harry nodded. 

“But... people are going to find out you killed Dumbledore,” Harry said. 

“That’s where I need your help, Potter. Dumbledore wants to pin it on Snape,” Draco said, careful to not reveal anything about Snape’s allegiances. Potter’s feelings on the matter spoke for themselves though. 

“Where is he?”

“He left... with them.” Harry’s face flamed red. 

“I knew it. So the purpose of blaming it on Snape is so you can keep riding the middle?” 

“Yes - and Potter, next year, we can work together, I’ll -”

“I’m not coming back next year. There’s things I have to do... to defeat him.” Draco paused. 

“In that case, I swear I will do everything in my power to keep Ginny safe here. I don’t know what it’s going to look like,” he said honestly. Harry was silent for a while. 

“Okay. I’m going to go out there, and tell everyone I saw Snape kill Dumbledore,” Harry said. 

“And Potter - you can’t tell anyone - not Weasley or Granger. The more people who know, the more likely it is everyone finds out.” He nodded, and disappeared into the hallway. Draco stood for a moment, catching his breath. 

“Harry - what happened?” he heard an auror ask him urgently. 

“Snape. He killed Dumbledore. I watched him,” Harry said simply. He heard someone cry. Slowly, he walked out of his hiding spot. There was rubble everywhere - though he didn’t see anyone injured. 

“Malfoy!” He turned and saw Ginny behind him. “You saved me from that Death Eater,” she said. It wasn’t a thank you. 

“Where’s Mel - is she alright?” 

“She’s okay. I think she’s near the front of the hall.” He felt a flood of relief - the first thing he had felt since he had seen the light leave Dumbledore’s eyes. 

“Draco!” Mel ran into him at full speed, wrapping her arms around him. “Is it...?” He nodded. “Draco,” she said, “you were so brave. You did everything right.” She stroked his hair and he started to cry. People were staring, so Mel quickly ushered them to the Slytherin dungeons. Climbing into his bed, all of the emotions he’d been holding in for the past few days came flooding out. He sobbed into her arms. He heard someone else enter the room. “Is he... did he?” Mel shook her head. 

“No. Snape,” she said. “He saw it happen - pretty shaken up. I’m just going to stay here for a bit. I’ll see you tomorrow, Blaise.” She pulled the curtains shut, performing a silencing charm. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow. Don’t worry,” she said, wiping his tears. His tears stopped, and he felt the numbness return. Mel gently gave him the sleeping draught she had brewed earlier in the day, and he fell into a dreamless sleep. 


	9. Summertime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Depression and Anxiety

For the next few days, Draco mostly stayed in bed. Mel left to go do damage control, and told everyone Draco had seen it happen and was shaken up. He didn’t go to the funeral - couldn’t bear it. Finally, he roused himself from bed to pack his belongings moments before he and Mel got on the train to head back to London. Rather than a car picking them up again, Draco saw his mother and father on the platform. His mother rushed up to him, holding him in her arms. He started to cry again. They ushered him into the car, and soon enough they were back at the Manor. Once there, he retreated to his room, while Mel stayed on the first floor to talk to his parents. 

“...hasn’t been out of bed since it happened. I think he’s in shock,” he heard Mel say. His mother sounded distraught. 

“He needs some time. The first time is never easy,” his father said. 

His state remained largely unchanged for the next few days - or weeks, he didn't know - Mel sleeping next to him and bringing him food, his mother coming up to sit with him. He spent all day either sleeping or replaying the moment in his mind. He would occasionally talk to Mel a bit, and she didn’t leave his side for too long, ever. One day – an indiscriminate amount of time after it had happened – she left for a few hours, and returned with a knock on the door.

“Hey,” she said, a bit of lightness to her voice. She put something on the ground, and then sat on the bed next to him, though he didn’t turn over. “Happy birthday, handsome.” That did make him turn over.

“Is it really June?” he asked. She nodded, brushing the hair off of his face.

“I just left to go pick up your gift,” she said with a smile. “Close your eyes.”

“Am I a child?” he asked, although he had been feeling like one recently.

“Let me have my fun,” she said. He obliged, and she leaned down to the floor. She placed something on the bed next to him, and he felt… movement? He opened his eyes in confusion, and saw a pure gray kitten slowly but surely crawling its way to him. He sat up.

“You got me a cat?”

“A kitten, actually,” she replied. It wobbled unsteadily on its legs, coming to curl up by his side. He felt uncertain, moving away from it, but it got back up and wobbled back on towards him.

“What am I supposed to do with a kitten?” he asked. “It’s so… tiny. I don’t like pets. I’ve never had one.”

“I know,” she said smugly. “And this kitten is special. It's half-kneazle - I would never get a Muggle kitten for Draco Malfoy. No, this kitten is magically charmed to know you – it likes me too, obviously, but it loves you.” He watched as the cat curled back up next to him, and he felt its tiny, warm body against his chest.

“Well, I don’t want it,” he said. He turned away from the cat and Mel, though the kitten began climbing around his head and settled on the pillow.

“If you don’t want it, that’s fine. We just have to keep it for a week. Then, I can bring it back,” she said. “There’s food over here in the corner, and a few toys too.” He said nothing, staring at the tiny face next to him instead. She slid into bed with him and rubbed his back. He leaned into her, eyes still closed. “You can do magic outside of school now, remember? What’s your first one going to be?” she asked, kissing his temple. He responded by pulling out his wand and drawing the shades closed, which made her roll her eyes. “Depressing, much? I was going to read.” With another wave of his wand, he turned on the lamp next to her. The cat, intrigued by the movement, chewed on the end of his wand.

“Mel – Mel, it’s chewing on my wand. Could you please make it stop?” Draco said, sitting up. She laughed.

“He’s a baby, Draco. He probably wants to play. Here,” she said, reaching down to the floor and getting a feather. “Just guide it with your wand.”

“I told you, I don’t want it – I don’t like pets.”

“Fine,” she said, and took out her own wand, guiding the feather near the cat, smiling as it clamored over Draco’s legs to swat at the feather. After a while, it tired out again, and curled up on Draco’s stomach. He groaned.

“Can you move it?”

“It’s a him. And no,” she said. “I actually told your mother I would help her with something today. She’s still having the house elves make dinner for your birthday – even if you don’t want to eat it downstairs,” she said. Standing up, she smiled as she looked at the scene on the bed – Draco with the kitten on his stomach, looking annoyed. “I’ll be back in an hour or so, okay?” She left the room, leaving him alone. The kitten was vibrating on his stomach, seemingly happy. He cautiously put a hand over its head, feeling the softness of its fur under his fingers. In response, it nuzzled into him and began to purr louder. He stayed there, watching it for a while, gently rubbing its back, until the kitten opened his eyes, and, seeing Draco, let out a very high-pitched meow.

“What do you want?” Draco asked, staring at it. It meowed again, and crawled towards him, nibbling on his nose. “Ouch – no. I don’t know what to do with you.” Very gingerly, he picked it up in one hand, and looked at the bag of food on the ground. “Food? Are you… hungry?” He reached into the bag and found the bag of food, but nothing to put it in. He sighed, and swung his feet to the floor, and holding the kitten in one hand, and the food in the other, descended the steps to the main floor. He entered the dining area, opening a cabinet to see if he could find a dish, but they were all too big. “Mother – are you down here?” he asked, and heard footsteps walking toward him hurriedly.

“Draco – yes, I’m here. I’m so glad to see you out of bed,” she said, and he saw Mel at her side, a small smile on her face. He held up the kitten, which at this point was gnawing on his shirt collar.

“I’m looking for a small dish of some sort – I think it’s hungry. I don’t know what to do with it,” he said, feeling foolish.

“I’ll get one,” his mother said, heading downstairs to the kitchens.

“It’s very needy,” Draco said to Mel. “I don’t like when it bites me,” he said, grimacing as the cat moved up to his earlobe.

“Do you want me to take him?” she asked.

“No,” he replied, holding it into his chest. His mother returned with two small dishes. He took them from her hands, placing the cat on the floor as he carefully opened the bag and dumped some food inside. He used his wand to fill the water dish. He placed it on the ground, and the kitten ran over, quickly eating and spilling half on the ground. “It’s making a mess.”

“He’s a baby,” Mel reminded, and the three of them stood in silence, just the sound of the kitten gobbling food interrupting them. “So, did you think about a name for him?”

“I told you, we’re not keeping it,” Draco said dismissively, though he didn’t take his eyes off the kitten.

“So he’s going to be nameless for a week, then?”

“Yes.” Once he was finished, the kitten crawled over to Draco’s foot and promptly fell asleep on it. Mel smiled and with a wave of her hand cleaned up the spilled food, though leaving the dish on the floor, and placed the food in a nearby cabinet. Draco picked up the kitten, cradling it in his arms again, and began the walk back upstairs, Mel close behind. He placed it on the bed, where it curled up on the pillow and stayed there, exhausted from the excitement. He breathed a sigh of relief. “Merlin. That was stressful,” he said, and Mel laughed. She gave him a kiss, and he wrapped his arms around her.

“Feeling better?” she whispered, arms still around him.

“A bit,” he admitted.

“How do you feel about a birthday shower – just a shower, unless you feel like more,” she said, kissing his neck. They hadn’t been close to each other in weeks, except for when they slept, and even then, pajamas were always separating them. Though he still felt the exhaustion and sadness around him, he craved feeling her skin on his, holding him, and he nodded. Taking his hand, they moved to the bathroom, where they stripped down and got into Draco’s massive shower. The warm water pouring over him felt good – felt like something, as did Mel’s wet skin pressed up against him. She lovingly washed his hair and he groaned, as it felt both intimate and erotic. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her deeply, and she smiled. “I missed you,” she said, and he looked into her eyes, filled with love. He was hard against her body, and she stood on her toes to kiss his neck, making her way down to his chest, and then his waist. She got down onto her knees, and he groaned as she took him in her mouth, feeling wickedly good. He ran his hands over her hair, enjoying the sensation of her and of the warm water pouring down on him. He moaned as he finished, joining her on the floor of the shower afterward, kissing her deeply. When they finally got out, they wrapped themselves in the fluffy robes in his linen closet, and collapsed into bed, Draco gently picking up the tiny kitten and placing him onto the sofa nearby.

“I love you,” he murmured, kissing her cheeks and her nose.

“I love you too,” she said, curling into his chest. He felt good, for the first time in weeks. Mel had her hands on his bare chest, fingers tracing the lines of his stomach. Soon they were kissing again, Draco on top of her, grinding into her with need. They had sex, and it was fast and hard, making both of their faces flush red, leaving fingernail marks on Draco’s back.

“It feels good to feel again,” he said, and she nodded, kissing his cheek as he felt tears well within his eyes. He cried into her chest, feeling only slight embarrassment as she stroked his wet hair.

“You’re allowed to take time to work through this,” she said, and he nodded. “I’m going to be here.” They stayed curled up in bed until the sun set, Draco already exhausted from the minor amount of activity. They finally got dressed around dinner time – not into much, Mel wearing jeans and one of her sweatshirts, while Draco wore the another one of hers, with a soft pair of pants. The kitten, not wanting to be forgotten, meowed at them from the couch, and Mel scooped him up and handed him to Draco as they walked downstairs. His mother smiled warmly as they slid into the dinner table, and even his father looked less uptight than normal – his hair tied back, wearing a regular shirt rather than a suit at the table. They ate together, sometimes in silence, sometimes talking about the cat that sat at Draco’s feet. After they ate, Draco wordlessly picked up the kitten and returned upstairs, and Mel joined him.

“I’m exhausted,” he said, and she curled her body around him under the covers.

“I know,” she said, pressing a kiss to his neck. “Your parents… they had an idea. About going to the house by the beach for the summer, in Cornwall. Just you and I. No worrying about the future – just us.” He turned over to meet her eyes.

“That sounds… nice,” he said cautiously. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch, love,” she said quietly, stroking his hair. “Our last chance for… normalcy.”

“When can we leave?” he asked.

“A few days? Let’s get our things together, take our time,” she said. “And of course, we do have to go return this little guy.” She picked up the kitten. She was baiting him, he knew, but he was too tired to fight.

“Oh, you know I’m not returning him,” Draco said sharply, taking the kitten from her. “I think I’ll name him Aries.”

“I think that’s lovely. Just a summer of you, me and Aries,” she said, grinning and kissing his cheek.

They left two days later, and using the Floo network arrived at a lovely stone guest house, which was decorated far too ornately, but was blessedly quiet and away from the hustle of daily life. They unpacked and sat in the living room, relaxing on the sofa.

“So – what now?” Draco asked. She smiled.

“Well, let’s get ourselves set up, shall we? Maybe we can walk into town, get some lunch and get groceries?”

“Grocery shopping?” he blanched at the thought. She laughed.

“No one to take care of us here – no house elves, just us, Drake. You’re going to have to get used to it.” They got dressed, and, hands clasped, began the short walk downtown. It was right on the cliffs, and Draco liked the way the warm sun felt on his face. He’d been inside for weeks now. They entered the Muggle grocery store, and Mel shopped around, Draco following her absentmindedly. Once she paid and they got outside, she opened up her bag, which she’d extended with a charm, and put the groceries inside. “You okay?” she asked, and he nodded, head still feeling fuzzy. “Come here. Let’s go sit by the water.” They walked down to the beach below the cliffs, and Mel handed him half of a sandwich. They sat in silence for a bit, before he finally spoke.

“It’s nice here. It’s still… hard though.” She looked at him with such empathy it almost made him hurt.

“I know it is. It’s going to take time. This summer, you and I will spend some time just doing things that make us feel good.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?” he said, giving her a look that made her roll her eyes.

“That, obviously – but I was thinking too… things like cooking – maybe planting a garden, reading, getting ahead on classwork – I don’t know, whatever you want.” Her eyes were soft. “You need to work through things. To heal.”

“You make me sound weak,” he said, grimacing. “Even though I know it’s true.”

“You’re not weak. I love you,” she said, kissing his cheek. “Let’s go home. I have a few ideas.”

Over the next few days, Draco mainly stayed at the cottage, napping or reading, while Mel occasionally went into town, getting them set up for the summer.

“What is this stuff?” he asked, coming down the stairs carrying Aries.

“Nice of you to wake up,” Mel said, fastening something to the wall. “It’s three. And this is just some… Muggle stuff,” she said casually. Draco made a face.

“Why do we need that? You know I don’t… like that stuff,” he said, feeling uncomfortable. They hadn’t really broached the idea of Muggle-Wizard relations. Mel had grown up in a mixed household, and Draco knew that she liked the Muggle aspect of her life, though she refrained from talking about it with him.

“Well, you are hellbent on being depressed all summer, and there is nothing better to do when you’re depressed than watch TV,” she said, gesturing to the screen on the wall. She reached down and plugged it into an outlet she created on the wall, and it turned on. “It’s like recorded plays, and stuff. Shows, and movies.” He looked at it with suspicion.

“What are these?” he asked, looking at two square boxes.

“Speakers,” she said. She picked up a silver, shiny disc, and she placed it into a nearby box. Suddenly music started playing from the boxes. “They play music.”

“Muggle music, I assume,” Draco said.

“Yes, Muggle music. Which is excellent, by the way. Just the same as Wizard music,” she said, taking his hands.

“What is it?”

“Rock music. For the rebellious American youth, like me,” she said with a grin. He rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on. You’re not going to dance with your girlfriend because it’s Muggle music? It’s better than the Weird Sisters, that’s for sure.” She lifted his arm up and twirled, and he cracked a small smile.

“It’s not terrible,” he said, going through the motions as she moved through the living room.

“Hey, look at that! Not terrible. I’ll take it,” she said, and he finally pulled away from her, flopping on the couch. “Do you want something to eat?”

“I’m not hungry,” he said, absentmindedly petting Aries.

“Drake,” she said, turning off the music. “You look really thin. Please eat something, okay? I can’t… take care of you. I’m seventeen, and I’m not qualified. I thought that maybe being here, just the two of us, would make it better, but maybe I was wrong.”

“I’m sorry. I know it’s not fair to you. I promise to try to be better,” he said. As if to show her, he went into the kitchen and poured a bowl of cereal – the only thing visible that he didn’t have to cook – and joined her on the couch, eating. He let Aries drink the leftover milk, and Mel cracked a small smile.

“Now, we get to introduce you to the great Muggle invention – the Rom-Com.”

“The what?”

“The romantic comedy. Basically, there’s a romantic story – boy meets girl, they fall in love, something dramatic happens and then they live happily ever after. It’s perfect. And we’re going to watch them.”

Watch them they did – they watched movies every night – some more modern, some what Mel called “classics”. Draco was fairly sure that his parents would murder him if they knew how he was spending his time, but he was feeling better. They spent their days in the sun, lounging in the grass or on the sand reading. Draco counted the freckles on Mel’s nose each night, noting when there was a new one.

“Seventeen today,” he proclaimed in early July, and she smiled, and kissed his knuckles.

“It’s American independence day this weekend, you know,” Mel said. “I used to hang out with my Muggle friends and get drunk, and wear a tiny American flag bikini.”

“That sounds like something I would love to see,” he said with a smile.

“And we used to bake a cake with a flag on it. But look at me now – living in Britain like a terrible American,” she said sadly, and Draco laughed.

“For the record, I’m thrilled you’re here with me.”

“I love you,” she whispered, leaning in close.

“I love you.”

Of course, nothing good can last forever, and one morning, Draco awoke to his mother’s voice from downstairs. He and Mel rolled out of bed and went to meet them.

“I can’t believe you were still in bed – it’s 7:30!” she said judgmentally. Draco grimaced.

“And what do we owe the pleasure?” he asked his parents.

“Just checking up on you,” his father said, looking him over.

“You look better, Draco,” his mother said. He’d gained back some of the weight he’d lost, and had gotten a bit of color on his ghastly pale skin.

“Yeah – I’m a bit better,” he said, nodding. “What are you actually doing, though?”

“You’re… needed,” his mother said with a grimace. “I’m sorry, dear. I wish that I didn’t have to take you out of here.”

“I’m not going,” Draco said stonily.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You know you have to go. Or they’ll come here, and get you. That’s not what you want, Draco,” his father snapped. He looked to Mel helplessly.

“How long?”

“A week at least, maybe more. It’s hard to say right now.”

“I don’t want to leave Mel here,” he said firmly.

“Please. She’ll be safer here than anywhere else. No one will touch her on this property.”

“I’ll be okay,” she said calmly.

“I’m sending an owl to Pansy. You can’t be here alone,” he insisted, and they returned upstairs, where he paced along the length of their room.

“Hey, I will be fine. I’m more concerned about you. I thought you were done – you finished your mission, and now we could go back to school,” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“It’s never done,” he said, grimacing. “It will never be done.”

“That’s not true,” she said, placing her hands on his shoulders.

“Can you just give me some space, please?” he asked, moving away from her. His voice was harsher than he intended, and she flinched, but nodded.

“I’ll get your things from the bathroom.” He threw his things into a bag, and accepted what she handed him.

“I’m going to go. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay.” He gave her one kiss before rushing down the stairs to meet his parents. And then, she was alone.

Draco scarcely had time to think before he was pulled into an Inner Circle meeting once he returned to the Manor.

“We’re not sure what’s happening. Just – be prepared, is all,” Lucius said to him as they entered the home.

“Draco, Lucius, lovely of you to join us,” Voldemort said, gesturing to the table. “Draco, where is your friend?”

“Not here, my Lord,” he replied, not making eye contact. He felt as if his head were about to pop off.

“Very well, then. I wanted to discuss a matter with you all,” he said, looking around the table at the inner circle. Lucius had been invited back once he’d killed Dumbledore. He sat alongside Rodolphus, Snape, Yaxley, Bellatrix, Wormtail and Dolohov. “We have finally done it. We’ve infiltrated the Ministry,” he said, baring his teeth in a horrific grin. The others around the table shouted jovially. “We’ve got Pious Thicknesse under the Imperius Curse. Now, all we need to do is kill Scrimgeour, and put him in charge. Any suggestions on when this should happen?”

“Our intel suggests there are a number of Floo trips scheduled to the Burrow on the afternoon of July 29. We don’t know what will be happening there, but we do know who will be there,” Dolohov said. They had just failed to kill Harry Potter the night before, and now looked to do it again. Draco, however, did not like this plan - he knew that Potter and the others would be sitting ducks. 

“Harry Potter. Excellent. So the afternoon of July 29, the Ministry will fall. We’ll immediately travel to the Burrow, where news of this event will certainly cause pandemonium. Then, we will try to either kill Potter, or at least get some information on where he is headed next. By whatever means necessary. Now Dolohov, Rodolphus, Bellatrix - you will lead a group to the Ministry. Then your group will apparate to the Burrow.” The Dark Lord stood, and so did everyone else. Draco’s mind raced. How could he get information to the Burrow? It seemed impossible.

He told Mel about his predicament through a Floo call that night.

“Could I tell Ginny?” she asked, looking frightened.

“They’re reading through all of the mail. All of it. They’re monitoring the Floo, who goes in and out. It would be impossible to get something in without giving us away.”

“I already write to her pretty often,” Mel said slowly. “Do you think a message from me would be viewed suspiciously?”

“Probably not. But they’ll read it – you’re not understanding.”

“But what if we disguised it?” she asked. “Wrote in a sort of code – made it obvious, but not obvious.”

“How would you do that?” he asked. She grabbed a piece of parchment from next to her.

“How about this – ‘Ginny, It’s been so long since I’ve seen you! I’m at the Malfoys' home in Cornwall. I’m alone, since Draco is busy, and I haven’t talked to him in a few weeks. I wish you could come visit, even though it’s not safe right now – even in our own homes. I wish I could come visit the Burrow – maybe on July 29, in the afternoon – but it’s not safe right now. I miss you, and I’ll see you at school. Give everyone my love, and stay safe.’ Do you think she’ll understand?”

“Maybe,” he said with uncertainty. “But it’s better than nothing, I guess. And that’s our only option.”

“Okay,” Mel said, and Draco watched as she got up and handed the parchment to their owl.

Mel didn’t hear a reply until two weeks later – although she knew from Draco that no one had been hurt at the Burrow, thankfully, and Harry and the others had not been caught.

‘Mel – Thanks so much for your note. It was very enlightening to hear from you, and you’re right – it’s not safe right now, even at home. All my love and see you in two weeks’.

“When are you coming back?” Mel asked that night via Floo.

“He’s still here,” Draco said, voice low. “I guess not for a while longer. I’m sorry.”

“I need to get books, for school and things, so does Pansy – do you want me to get yours, too?”

“I guess. I don’t like the idea of you two going alone. Especially now that we have the Ministry.”

“Now that the Death Eaters have the Ministry,” Mel corrected, and he felt his face flush.

“Right. Well – what about if Nott comes with you? Or Blaise?”

“I don’t need protecting,” Mel snapped. “We’ve been here alone for a month. I can handle myself. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?” Her face disappeared from the fire, and Draco cursed.

Draco ended up not seeing Mel until they were back at King’s Cross, to get on the train to go to Hogwarts one last time.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “I shouldn’t have left you there.”

“It’s okay. I’m glad you’re okay,” she said, voice sounding muffled in his chest. They got on the train, ducking into their own compartment and locking the door. “What’s it going to be like?” she asked timidly, and Draco could tell she was afraid.

“I don’t know. Terrifying, I imagine,” he said honestly. Ginny knocked on the door of their compartment. Mel opened it quickly and gave her a hug.

“Hey,” she said softly, and Draco could see Ginny tearing up. “Are you okay?” Ginny shook her head no, and looked at Draco.

“Sorry,” he said, feeling embarrassed. “I wish I could leave, but – I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” Soon enough, the train was filled with Death Eaters, checking each compartment for evidence of Harry. One approached them, opening the door. 

“All set here,” Draco said. 

“But she’s -” he said, looking at Ginny. 

“I said we were all set,” Draco said, and the masked figure withdrew. Mel and Ginny exchanged glances. 

“Draco? How bad is it going to be?” Mel asked. He sighed. 

“Just... be prepared. That’s all I can say.” 


	10. Year 7

Draco knew that things were going to be different this year - but he didn’t realize how different. Snape had been appointed the Headmaster, and there were Death Eaters throughout the school. Alecto and Amycus Carrow had been assigned to Hogwarts as Snape’s seconds in command, teaching at the school and using Unforgivable curses as an acceptable method of punishment. He was Head Boy, with his own private bedroom and bathroom, and license to use the Cruciatus curse whenever he desired. It was truly a nightmare. 

“Good morning, love,” Draco said, as he and Mel walked to their first class of the day. They walked into the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower, where Amycus Carrow stood at the front of the room, looking particularly vile. 

“Welcome to Dark Arts,” Amycus said. Draco grimaced. Clearly, the “Defense Against” had been dropped. “You’ll learn to cast a number of curses this year, including the Unforgivable Curses. Performance of each Unforgivable is required to pass the course. Murmurs began through the class, sounding troubled. Mel looked at Draco. “Well, let’s pair you up and duel.” He began pairing up the weaker looking students in the class with the Slytherins, desperate to use their new power. He got to Mel, and said, “Goyle.” 

“No,” Draco said, looking at Amycus. 

“Draco - it’s fine, I can handle it -”

“She’s with me, Amycus.” He nodded. 

“Malfoy and Stewart,” he said, before moving to another pair. 

“You’re smothering me,” she said, rolling her eyes at Draco. 

“It’s the first day, okay? Let’s avoid the hospital wing. Besides, Goyle is unpredictable - you never know what’s going to come out of his wand. And neither does he.” Mel cracked a small smile.

“Fine. But eventually, you’re going to have to let me fend for myself.” Though in reality, Draco had no intention of that happening. They gently dueled back and forth until the class period was over, before walking out of the tower and to the East Wing, where Mel had Ancient Runes, which he wasn’t taking. Draco dropped her at the door.

“See you in an hour?”

“What, you’re going to pick me up from class? No, I have this class with Pansy - I’ll see you in Transfiguration later,” she said. He conceded for now, but was wracked with anxiety for the entire hour that she was gone. He couldn’t stop replaying scenarios in his head of what would happen if she ran into the Carrows, and said something inflammatory. He couldn’t protect her if she wasn’t around. He dragged himself out of his room, and sat at the tables in the Great Hall to eat lunch. 

“Draco! I haven’t seen you in a while. You’ve been like a ghost,” Blaise said, sliding in next to him, Nott by his side. 

“Blaise! Sorry, I've been busy,” he said. “Mel and I were away all summer,” he said, making excuses. 

“This is wild, isn’t it?” Blaise asked, gesturing around him. “The Carrows teaching classes, Snape as headmaster - it kind of feels like we’re in an alternate reality.” Draco was about to agree, when he heard a voice behind him. 

“More like the ideal reality, Zabini,” Crabbe said, sneering. “You’re forgetting who you’re talking to.” 

“Okay, calm down, Crabbe. No need to be my guard dog. Yes - things do feel weird. But it does feel easier to breathe. You know - without the Golden Trio sucking all of the oxygen out of the room,” he said, cracking a smile with a topic that Slytherins and Death Eaters alike agreed on - their hatred of Harry Potter and Co. Blaise grinned back. 

“See, you’re still in there, Draco,” Blaise said. They heard a scream coming from across the room. Alecto Carrow was levitating a female student high into the air, as she shrieked for help. Finally, Alecto let her go - from the height of the chandeliers. She made a sickening crunch as she landed. He watched as Ginny rushed over to the girl. Neville scooped her up and carried her to the hospital wing. He signed. And so it began. 

Things were okay for about a week. However, Ginny Weasley was quickly proving to be a hothead. Draco was doing his best to diffuse the situation, but he was struggling to protect them both. He’d promised Potter that he’d take care of Ginny, but it was more difficult than he’d realized.

“What Malfoy, just because you’re sleeping with her friend, you have to be the hero? This is getting a bit ridiculous. I’m not sure how you coerced the Dark Lord into giving you so much power, but you’re squandering it,” Amycus spat at him after he diffused yet another situation with Ginny. He didn’t know what to do - he knew he could not be an outward protector for much longer, but his anxiety about Mel or Ginny getting hurt was through the roof. He was at a crossroads. That is, until someone - one of the Carrows, a Gryffindor, no one knew - let a snake loose in the Slytherin Common Room at night. It attacked a second year, badly wounding her. Nott had heard the shriek and rushed in just in time. The situation was becoming more and more dangerous. 

“That’s it,” Draco said, after Mel told him about the snake, “You’re sleeping with me, every night.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” Mel dismissed. 

“This is not up for discussion,” Draco said, his eyes flashing. She’d never seen him use that tone with her before, and so she agreed.

That night, she entered Draco’s private room at around 10. “Hi love.”

“Hey,” Mel said, placing her bag on the ground. 

“Look, I’m sorry I raised my voice before. I’m just scared. It would just make me feel a lot better if you stayed in here with me,” Draco said, taking her hand. He felt some of her frosty exterior melt. 

“I know, Draco.” He pulled her across the bed, kissing her deeply, but he could tell she was hesitating. “Actually, I’m really tired. I think I’m going to get changed and go to sleep, if that’s ok.” He nodded, staring at the ground as she went into the bathroom. He didn’t know how to protect her without her pulling away. But he knew that it was more important she was safe. 

As Draco left Potions one morning that week, he walked up to the Great Hall and heard a shriek in a voice he recognized - Ginny. He darted into the hall, and saw Alecto performing the Cruciatus curse on Ginny Weasley, who he had sworn to protect, and he was failing. He tried intervening, but was swiftly stopped by Amycus. 

“Enough, Malfoy. We’re done listening to you. If you try to get in the way again, we’re going to the Dark Lord.” Draco watched helplessly as Ginny writhed in pain on the ground. After she finally stopped and the Carrows walked away, Mel and Pansy both rushed to her side. 

“Mel - here, let me -” Draco said. 

“It’s fine Draco. We’ve got it. Seriously, you should go,” Mel said. He backed away, feeling himself begin to spiral. It was clear Mel was starting to resent him - but he didn’t know how to keep her safe without smothering her. He strode down the hallway, retreating to his room to wallow. 

“Mel, where were you? It’s late, I was getting worried.” 

“Yeah, I know. Look, I’m going to sleep in my own room tonight. I need some space. Some time to think. Let’s talk tomorrow,” Mel said, picking up her bag and turning to leave. Draco grabbed her arm. 

“What are you talking about? You know how I feel about you not being here with me.” She turned around to look at him. 

“I know how you feel? Listen to yourself, Draco. This is quickly becoming an imprisonment rather than a relationship. You won’t let me duel in class – even though I’m better than you, and you know it. You walk me to every class, you make me sleep in your bed every night. I love you, but this is not who I am, and you know that.” She left in a hurry, waiting before she was out of earshot before her tears began to fall. He did the same, slamming his fist into the stone. He knew he’d been reaching her breaking point. The years of controlling, narcissistic behaviors were beginning to creep back up - he knew that they were bubbling there, under the surface. He lay on his bed, running over the conversation again in his mind that night. He didn’t sleep.

He got to Dark Arts early the next morning to have a chance at talking to her. She was already there, always arriving right after lunch. 

“Hi,” he said, touching her shoulder. “I’m sorry about last night.” She softened visibly. 

“I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to be dramatic. I just really needed some space.”

“I know. I just don’t think you understand the danger you’re in. They are not afraid to torture, maim, kill. They hate everyone who isn’t with them.” Any softness evaporated. 

“I understand, Draco. I’m not a child. And the feeling is mutual,” she said, watching as Amycus returned to the front of the class. When Amycus walked around to pair them up to duel, he no longer even said anything to Draco and Mel, as he knew Draco wouldn’t allow anything else. They stood up and headed to a spot near the front of the room. Mel started, as usual. Except today, instead of the gentle, easy to block spells she generally cast, these were powerful, and intentional. Draco struggled to keep up - he didn’t want to hurt her, so he was firing only protection charms. When she refused to let up, however, he was forced to begin fighting back. They dueled intensely, Mel unrelenting, and quicker than he. Draco could tell all eyes in the room were on them. He could feel each curse get closer and closer to him, until finally, he faulted and she disarmed him. Reaching for his wand, she quickly whirled in, grabbed it, and held her wand to his throat. The room was silent. 

“Well, well,” Amycus said, laughing, “looks like you were bested on this one, Malfoy.” Mel, stony-faced and angry, collected her books and moved to walk out of the room. 

“Don’t pair me with Malfoy again. I can take care of myself - and I just knocked him on his ass,” she said. His face burned with anger and embarrassment as he followed her. “Not here,” she said, and he could tell he was seething. They returned to his rooms. 

“Okay, you made your point. You can take care of yourself. That doesn’t mean you should keep putting yourself in grave danger,” he said. 

“What aren’t you understanding?” she asked. “This person that I’ve become - sleeping in your bed every night for protection, avoiding conflict, having you walk me through life - this is not me. I can’t live like this.” 

“I’m terrified, okay? I’m terrified, and you are the only thing that is important to me anymore. I cannot lose you, because otherwise I will have nothing. And what’s the point of everything, what I did…” he trailed off, voice failing him.

“When will you get it through that thick skull of yours that I am not going anywhere, Draco?” she asked impatiently. “I love you – really, really love you – and I can protect myself. We are in this together, you and me. You need to let me help,” she said, more gently.

“I know,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her. “I’m sorry.”

“I know you are,” she said soothingly.

“Stay with me today and tonight? Please?” He asked, voice shaking.

“Because you asked. Not because I have to,” she said, sliding into bed with him.


	11. Something Good

Just one year prior, they had spent autumn falling in love. They’d watched Quidditch matches, taken long walks around the grounds, spent hours kissing. Draco thought about it wistfully, as he stalked the halls, looking for students out of bed. He was pulled into meetings, forced to discipline students and trying to keep Crabbe and Goyle in check. Mel was constantly trying to distract the Carrows, keeping them away from as many students as she could, and trying to focus on classwork as much as possible. She always made time for him, though – even when things felt dire, and impossible. As the weather grew colder, he found himself thankful that they’d made it through half of the year without either of them being seriously injured. It was a small blessing.

“Come for a walk with me?” Mel said one night at dinner.

“It’s cold,” he protested.

“I know. I just need some fresh air,” she said, giving his hand a small squeeze.

“Okay,” he agreed, and they wrapped their cloaks around themselves for warmth before heading outside. They walked along the Black Lake in silence for a bit.

“So, what’s after this?” Mel asked, pulling his arm closer to her body. “After this is over, after the war – what are we going to do next?”

“You know it’s dangerous to think like that,” he replied, feeling despondent.

“I know it is, I just… I need something, okay?” she said, and he noticed for the first time how down she looked. “I need something to focus on, something happy. Otherwise… it’s too hard.”

“Okay,” he said gently, putting his arm around her shoulders. “So, what will you do for work?”

“Cursebreaking, I think,” she said. “Challenging, but I like that.”

“I know you do,” he said, hint of a smile on his face.

“What about you?”

“It’s hard to think about that,” he said, shaking his head.

“Pretend it’s a game,” she suggested.

“I love Potions, of course. I think I’d like to do that, if I could. Alchemy is challenging, but I’d like to learn.”

“That suits you,” she said with a smile. “And where would you like to live?”

“London. Near Diagon Alley,” he said. “With you.”

“With me?” she asked, stopping short.

“If you’d want that,” he said nonchalantly.

“Of course I would,” she said, kissing him deeply.

“Your lips are cold,” he responded, smiling through the kiss.

“Let’s go warm up, then,” she replied, smirking. They made their way back to Draco’s rooms, where he immediately filled up his massive soaker tub with warm water. They stripped down, Draco kissing down Mel’s neck as she clung to him. “This feels so amazing after being in the cold,” she said, sinking deeper into the warm water, wrapping her hands around his neck. Suddenly, the door to his rooms opened, and he could see two of the Slytherin Prefects standing there. Mel shrieked. 

“Hey - this is a private room, what do you not get about that?” Draco seethed. “Can I not have one moment of peace?” 

“Um, sorry Malfoy...” he said, averting his eyes. “But there’s a situation downstairs. Crabbe and Goyle are... recruiting the younger kids to join the Dark Lord. It’s scaring them.” Draco sighed, pulling himself out of the tub and wrapping a towel around his waist. 

“Hey - don’t leave - I will be right back, I swear,” he promised. Mel, up to her nose in bubbles to hide from the Prefects, nodded. Draco tossed on a robe and walked downstairs to find Crabbe and Goyle standing in the common room, talking to a group of very young students - first and second years - most of whom were crying. “Hey - Crabbe, Goyle - what is going on here?” 

“We thought it would be a good opportunity to save these students from certain death - you know, by supporting the Dark Lord before it’s too late,” Crabbe said nonchalantly. 

“What - are you insane?” 

“We need to build our base, Malfoy,” he said seriously. 

“Of eleven year olds? No. Absolutely not. Knock it off.”

“You know, while you’re upstairs fucking your plaything, some of us are trying to do real work here,” Crabbe said, stepping threateningly toward Draco, who began fuming. 

“Do not forget the pecking order here, Crabbe. You know who’s in charge - who the Dark Lord trusts, and who the Dark Lord wouldn’t trust to watch his owl,” Draco spat. He shoved Crabbe against the wall. “If you ever talk about Mel again, I will snap your neck. Now get out of here,” he said, as Crabbe and Goyle retreated. He turned to the group of younger students, all who were listening with wide eyes. “Um - sorry about that. Pretend you didn’t hear anything. Don’t worry about the Dark Lord - just, um, do well in school. Study hard. Don’t get in trouble,” Draco said hastily, before rushing back upstairs. “Crabbe and Goyle are going to kill me,” he moaned, tossing off his robe and getting back into the tub.

“What ever could I do to help?” Mel said, sliding onto his lap.

“That helps,” he said, and locked the door with a wave of his wand.

“What are we going to do for Christmas?” Mel asked afterward. It was only a week away, and they found themselves thinking of the blissful holiday the year before.

“I don’t want to take you to the Manor,” Draco said, mood darkening. “He’s been there, and often.” Mel shuddered.

“Stay here?” she offered. “Not very joyful with the Carrows around, though.” Draco thought carefully.

“Maybe there’s something we can do about that.”

A few days later, he requested a meeting with Alecto and Amycus. He ended up in Snape’s office, the three of them sitting around his desk while Snape paced the room.

“What was so important that you needed to call us together, Malfoy?” Alecto asked.

“I’m coming to you with a gesture of goodwill,” he offered. All three looked intrigued. “The holidays are coming up, and there won’t be many students around. I know important decisions are happening in the next few weeks, and I wanted to offer to stay here, with Severus, over the holidays so that you two could join the Inner Circle meetings.”

“And why would you do that?” Amycus sneered.

“Goodwill, like I said. I’m going to be staying here, regardless. Since I’ll be here, I thought you could take advantage of the fact, and I’ll keep an eye on things. It could be your only opportunity.”

“What do you think, Severus?” He glanced at Draco.

“I do not care in the slightest whether you stay or go. However, he’s right. It could be your only opportunity to speak with him.”

“We’ll go,” Alecto said quickly. Draco nodded.

“Okay, then. Severus, we can talk about schedules. You two better get going.” When they’d left the room, Severus looked at him.

“I’ll support you, but you need to tell me why.”

“I thought… it might be nice to have one last normal week. For us, and for the other students here.” Severus nodded.

“Very well.” Draco left the office, feeling optimistic for the first time in months – maybe since last Christmas. He ran into McGonagall on his way out of Snape’s office.

“Mr. Malfoy – did I see the Carrows with a suitcase, or am I having some kind of hallucination?” she asked. He bit back a smile.

“I thought they might enjoy some time off for the holidays. It will just be me keeping an eye on things for the next two weeks. Looks like we don’t need to cancel our usual holiday celebrations after all.” McGonagall nearly smiled at him.

“I’ll inform the other professors.”

“I can’t believe you did this,” Mel said, as she watched the Carrows and most of the other students get on the Hogwarts Express. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Before long, the school was nearly empty. The students that stayed were more often than not those whose parents were in hiding, as they were Muggles or Muggleborns. The departure of the Carrows raised everyone’s spirits, and Draco could tell at dinner that night it was the right choice. It was peaceful.

“These two weeks are going to be really nice,” Mel said, leaning into him. “What do you want to do?”

“Fly, read, snog you,” he said, making her laugh. “That’s the short list.”

“Can we have a tree?” she asked. “In your dorm – could we make one and decorate it?”

“We can do whatever you want,” he promised, kissing her softly. When he pulled away, a few older students stood in front of him.

“Sorry,” one of them in Hufflepuff robes said, looking nervous. “We usually do rounds and report to the Carrows, but they told us to report to you. What are the rounds schedules?”

“Rounds to make sure everyone is in bed?”

“That, and – well, we have to give a discipline report. Give out a certain number of curses each night,” he said. Draco made a face.

“That one’s canceled. Just do the normal rounds to make sure everyone’s okay. No need to report back unless there’s something wrong, then come find me.” They looked confused, but nodded. “And knock if you’re coming to my room!” Mel giggled. “Come on. Let’s go decorate your tree.” McGonagall stopped them on their way out of the hallway.

“Malfoy – would you let me know if there are any…reports you’re sending to the Carrows? I want to be sure the students are okay,” she said.

“I will write up a few reports to send to the Carrows so that they know everything is running smoothly, but there won’t be any actual reports – or actual punishments, for that matter. I already told the prefects. If you need me, we’ll be in my room.”

“We’re going to decorate a Christmas tree,” Mel told her, and a flicker of amusement crossed over her face.

“Very well,” she said. “And happy holidays to you both.”

When they returned, Mel took one of the candlesticks from the window and managed to transfigure it into a fairly realistic looking tree, and made some ornaments out of the candles.

“I wish we had Muggle Christmas music. It’s far better,” Mel said, and he rolled his eyes. “I doubt that,” he said. When their tree was decorated, they stood back to admire their work.

“Do you know what we need? Hot chocolate. Maybe with a little bit of Firewhiskey,” she said, eyes glinting.

“Come on, let’s go to the kitchens. And I’ll do a quick loop to make sure everything is in order.” They left his rooms hand in hand, both wearing soft sweaters and jeans. They were laughing when they nearly ran smack into Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick, who looked to be doing the same thing that they were – going to the kitchens for hot chocolate.

“Hi Professors!” Mel said cheerfully. They smiled at her, but sneered at him – Flitwick in particular.

“Hot chocolate run?” McGonagall asked. “You caught us on ours.”

“Yes, we just finished decorating our tree. Professor Flitwick – this is great, actually – I transfigured our tree, and it looks all right, but there’s no real smell, obviously. Any way to make it more realistic?” As they talked over a charm she could use to make it smell like pine, McGonagall stared at him.

“What you did was decent, Malfoy,” she said. “I won’t give you another compliment – likely ever – but it was decent.” He nodded. She looked at Mel. “She makes you better. I only hope you don’t make her worse.”

“Don’t think that’s possible,” he said. “Professor – while we’re alone…”

“Spit it out, Malfoy.”

“You can trust me,” he blurted out. “I know that’s a ridiculous thing to say, and I can’t really explain why. But I talked to Dumbledore… before. He showed me the Mirror of Erised. I’m not evil,” he said finally.

“I never thought you were,” she said mildly. “I understand, Malfoy. Now, let’s get our cocoa.” Mel rejoined him.

“So I can make it smell like pine! How cool, right?” she asked, squeezing his arm.

“Right,” he said with a smile.

They spent the break reading, playing chess, flying and snogging – as per Draco’s request. On Christmas morning, they woke up together to the sight of snow gently falling outside of his window. Mel smiled sleepily at him and stretched her arms up, wrapping them around his neck. She was wearing one of his jumpers and the sight made him smile. They turned over, watching the snow behind them. He reached down and grabbed a package off the floor.

“We said no gifts!” Mel cried, pouting. “This is unfair – besides, all of the shops are closed. How did you even buy anything?”

“I didn’t – I swear. Just open it, okay?” She opened the box where his Slytherin signet ring sat on a matching silver chain.

“What is Draco Malfoy without his signet ring?” she teased, but it was soft, and her eyes were smiling.

“I wanted you to have it. You know, a declaration to everyone that you’re mine.”

“I think everyone is well aware,” she said. “But I love it. Thank you.” She lifted up her hair and he clasped it around her neck. They barely got dressed for breakfast. Mel slipped on a pair of jeans with his jumper, and Draco did the same with another. The younger students were sitting around eating pancakes and eggs, many of them still in their pajamas. They sipped big mugs of tea and watched the merry scene. “This is the real gift,” she said, looking around at happy faces. “I know you say that you’re not good, and that you’re just doing everything for us – but this is pretty genuinely good, Drake.”

“It was for you,” he protested, but she shook her head.

“It was for everyone.” And as she rested her head against his shoulder and met McGonagall’s eye, he thought she might be right.


	12. Firewhiskey

After the Christmas holidays, things were bleaker than ever. Draco knew from his family that things were going poorly for the resistance, and that their side was getting even more powerful. He thought frequently about Potter, and wondered what he was doing that could possibly be taking him so long. As soon as students returned, the Carrows were back with a vengeance – there were more curses doled out, more students outlawed from the school and imprisoned. Muggleborns didn’t return following the holidays, and the castle felt empty. Ginny ran up to Mel at the start of the term tearfully, telling her Luna had been abducted from the train.

“Can you find out anything?” she asked him, and he hesitated. “Draco – please,” she said, eyes dark. He nodded.

“I’ll try,” he promised, and both Ginny and Mel looked slightly relieved. After sending a few owls back and forth with his mother, he found out with horror that Luna was being held in the dungeons at Malfoy Manor. He felt sick as he relayed the information to Mel and Ginny, who looked at him with disgust. 

"But isn't - isn't Voldemort there?" Mel asked fearfully. He hesitated before nodding. 

"He won't go down there. Hopefully, she'll be safe there until Easter. I'll go home then and be sure she's okay and see what I can do." He just prayed nothing would happen to her in the meantime. 

They went about life for the next two months as if they were zombies – they went to class, spent time together, huddled in corners of the library or their common rooms, avoiding the Carrows. Crabbe and Goyle were harassing Blaise and Pansy at every chance they could get, since they weren’t outward supporters. There was still no news from Potter, or any of the Golden Trio. According to Ginny, they hadn’t heard from them in six months. Things were looking bleak.

One Friday night in late February, Mel and Draco were huddled beside the fireplace in his bedroom when they heard a knock at the door.

“Probably Prefects – the Carrows probably cursed someone horribly,” Draco muttered. Instead, he found Pansy, Blaise and Theo looking at him expectantly. “What are you doing here?” Blaise held up a bottle – Firewhiskey.

“I thought we might want to dull the pain of life for a few precious moments,” Blaise drawled, a mischievous look on his face. “Let us in.” Draco obliged and opened the door, and his friends entered the room. “Oh, I do hope we weren’t interrupting. Or if we were, I hope you invite us to join.”

“We weren’t,” Mel snapped, annoyed. “We do things other than have sex, you know.”

“And I find that a shame,” Blaise said. “You’re both so pretty.” Draco stared at him. “I may have already indulged in some of this today. Drink up!” He passed Draco the bottle, and he took a drink, before handing it off to Mel. “Careful Mel – wouldn’t want to get too drunk that you can’t get on your knees later.”

“Piss off,” she said, before hitting him with a quick stinging hex.

“Unnecessary,” he gasped, eyes smarting from the pain. She glared at him and took another sip. Draco let out a deep breath as the Firewhiskey dulled his senses. It felt good to be numb, to forget everything except what was in front of him. They passed the bottle around until at least half was gone and they were all less serious, and even Mel was laughing at some of Blaise’s meaner quips.

“A game. Let’s play a game!” Pansy declared, swaying a bit. “Truth or Dare.”

“You go first, Pans,” said Mel, cheeks pink. Her body was pressed up against Draco and he wanted to push her into the rug and snog her senseless.

“Okay. Blaise, truth or dare.”

“Truth. I don’t trust you with a dare.”

“Hm, okay. You make jokes about it all the time. If you could sleep with either Mel or Draco, who would you pick?” Blaise snorted a bit, taking another sip of Firewhiskey.

“Draco, obviously. That crush has been a slow burn,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“I’m flattered. Correct choice,” Draco said, and Mel shoved him.

“Okay, Blaise gets to pick now.”

“I pick you, Pans,” he said gleefully.

“Dare.”

“Go into the hall, find whatever Prefects are doing rounds, and proposition one of them. Choice of going through with it is up to you.”

“Who’s on tonight, Draco? Anyone fit?” she asked.

“Schedule is by the door.”

“Oh, gross. Maximilian and Bones. Just the proposition then,” she said, making a face. “I’ll be back.”

“We should continue in her absence,” Blaise said. “Mel, truth or dare?”

“Dare, I suppose?”

“I dare you to spend the rest of the game in your knickers,” he said. “I want to see how long before Draco covers you with a sheet to keep you from our lecherous glares."

“Fine,” she said, wriggling out of her jeans. As she pulled up her jumper to reveal her black bra, Blaise whistled. She glared at him but said nothing.

“Still can’t believe Draco gave you that ring. I thought that was where all of his power was from,” Blaise said. Pansy opened the door and stared.

“Is this a weird sex thing?” she asked, and Mel rolled her eyes.

“Game over,” Draco said, handing Mel her jumper back. “Eyes to yourself, Nott.”

“Like forty seconds,” Blaise said. “Noted.”

“I wish I had someone who cared about me like that,” Pansy whined. “Considering the world is ending and all, would be nice to… be in love.” The rest of the group stared at her.

“Pansy,” Mel said slowly. “Theo loves you.”

“What?” she asked, confused. “Theo and I shag, that’s it. Right Theo?”

“Well, actually,” Theo said sheepishly. “I do quite like you, Pansy. You just didn’t seem to be interested, so I just let you be. Until you were ready, of course.”

“Oh,” she squeaked. “Would you like to take a walk with me, then?”

“Um, yes. Yeah. Definitely,” Theo said, jumping up. They disappeared out the door, leaving only Blaise, Draco and Mel.

“Young love,” Blaise said. “Guess it’s just the three of us, then.”

“Goodbye, Blaise,” Draco said, staring at his girlfriend who was still sitting in her underwear.

“Fine,” he grumbled, and soon disappeared out the door too.

“I don’t like other people staring at you like that,” he said in a low voice as he leaned over her.

“I only want you staring at me,” she whispered as he kissed her. The Firewhiskey let him lose himself in her even more than he usually did, and his only thoughts were on Mel – kissing Mel, holding Mel, Mel, Mel.

Many more Friday nights were spent like this – drinking with their friends to try to forget the horrors of the week. As ridiculous as it seemed, it was the only thing helping them get through. Even Ginny Weasley would occasionally join them, as well as whoever Blaise was seeing at the moment. Pansy and Theo, who were now a couple, were rather entertaining to be around, and they were the only moments Draco felt like he could breathe. It didn’t hurt that he and Mel always fell into bed after these nights, completely entranced with the other. They were probably drinking too much – but Draco couldn’t care.

Saturday morning in early April, Draco woke up early to the sound of Mel throwing up after one of these evenings. It wasn’t the first time – not by a long shot. She got horrible hangovers, and so he got up and handed her a vial of potion.

“Thanks,” she said gratefully, before drinking it and falling back into bed. They slept for a few more hours, finally dragging themselves out of bed at 11. After a quick shower, they went down to breakfast. Pansy looked equally gray as she and Theo sat with large mugs of tea.

“I think we overdid it last night,” Pansy said as they sat beside her. “Maybe we take next weekend off.”

“We say this every Saturday morning,” Draco reminded her. Beside him, Mel took one look at the plate of eggs in front of her and blanched.

“Going to puke again,” she muttered, rushing out.

“She has such a sensitive stomach,” Pansy said. “Though I don’t think I’ll be going near eggs anytime soon.”

“Want to go flying, Draco?” Theo asked, and Draco nodded.

“Sure. I need to talk to the Carrows, though. I’m being summoned.”

“What do you want?” Draco asked as he entered their office.

“You’re being sloppy,” Amycus spat. “You’re not disciplining students, you’re not doing anything useful.”

“I don’t see torturing students as useful.”

“Whatever. You need to go to the Manor for Easter. There’s some things you’ll need to take care of. You’re to go on runs, things like that.”

“I don’t…go there anymore. I stay here, with Mel.” Draco was hesitant, even with Luna in the dungeons. He wanted to be selfish - he didn't want to leave Mel and force himself to go back to that horrible place.

“Not for Easter, you won’t. That’s it. Get out of here,” Amycus said with a wave of his hand. In a huff, Draco left and went to go back to his rooms to change. When he arrived, he found Mel curled up in bed.

“Hey – still hungover?”

“I guess,” she said, and he noticed she looked pale. “I feel awful.”

“Sorry – want me to stay here with you?” he offered.

“No, I’m gross. You should go – I’ll see you at dinner, okay?” Planting a kiss on her forehead, he agreed and left to go fly with Theo.

But he didn’t find Mel at dinner – she was still in bed when he returned.

“You missed dinner,” he said, sitting beside her as she stirred.

“I must have slept through it,” she said, yawning. “Feeling better, though.”

“Good. Listen, Mel – I have some...things I have to do over Easter break. There’s some responsibilities I need to attend to, apparently.”

“Draco, no,” she said, sitting up. “You can’t. You have no idea what they're going to make you do.”

“I have to. You’ll stay here, it will be okay. Nothing is going to happen.”

“You don’t know that,” she said, frustrated. “When is this going to be over?”

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “All I can do is try to keep us safe in the meantime. And that includes this.”


	13. Unplanned

Despite the extra sleep, Mel was still feeling ill for the rest of the week. She skipped their Friday night plans, choosing instead to sleep in the girls’ dormitory and get some more rest. He heard her throwing up on Sunday morning again, and she was listless for the rest of the day.

“Are you still not feeling well?” Draco asked as he watched Mel push some food around her plate at dinner. “You should go to the hospital wing.”

“I need to talk to you after dinner,” she said quietly, though Pansy overheard and looked worried.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, and she didn’t respond. He finished eating, though his food tasted like sand, and they stood up from the table, Mel not having taken a single bite. “You should eat something,” he said.

“I can’t,” she replied, so he took her hand and they walked back to the dungeons. Once inside his private room, he turned to her.

“What’s going on, love?” he asked, and there was a look on her face that he hadn’t seen before – fear. Fear of him.

“I have to tell you something,” she said, her voice cracking. “Draco… were you always… careful about using the protection charm?” she asked quietly, and he froze.

“Of course – I mean,” he said, thinking back to the nights in the past few months that they’d gotten drunk with their friends to forget their problems. “I mean… I don’t know,” he said, feeling afraid himself. She burst into tears.

“I think I’m pregnant,” she said, head in her hands, and he felt his heart drop. “I wanted to take the test but I couldn’t… I’ve been waiting for you.” He sank into the bed, head in his hands.

“Fuck,” he said quietly. “God, I can’t believe I was so stupid. I can’t deal with… _this_ right now. We're in the middle of a bloody war," he said, and Mel let out a choked sob. “I mean, what, Mel? Seriously… were you expecting me to be happy, or something?” he asked, and she cried harder.

“No, of course not – I’m sorry,” she said, arms around her chest. She stood up, tears and makeup running down her face, grabbed her bag off the ground and quickly left the room, Draco not moving to stop her. He punched the wall, hard, feeling his hands smash against the stone. Then he left the room, slamming his door shut, and stalking up to the Astronomy tower, where he stood near the edge, head in his hands. Mel was pregnant. An avalanche of thoughts flooded his mind – none of them making sense, all coming at once. They were in the middle of the war, they were too young, he didn’t want any of his fucked up genes passed on to an innocent child, he couldn’t be a father because his father didn’t show him how, he could barely take care of himself and how was he supposed to take care of Mel and a baby? He climbed up to the roof, feeling the cold wind rush over him, and began to cry.

“Mel,” Pansy said, climbing into her bed. With a wave of her hand, Mel shut the curtains behind her and cast a silencing charm as she began to cry again. “Oh, Mel, what did he do?” She shook her head.

“Pansy…” she said, unable to even continue because of her tears. “I’m so stupid. I was so, so stupid, and I really fucked up.” Pansy said nothing, just sat next to her friend, waiting for her to speak again. “I’m pretty sure I’m pregnant.” Pansy kept her face set in stone, though she was petrified, and put her arm around Mel.

“It’s okay,” she said soothingly. “But pretty sure isn’t the way to do anything. Do you know the spell?” she asked, and Mel nodded. She picked up her wand, quietly casting the charm. A few moments later, a pink light appeared above her head, and she burst into tears again, Pansy wrapping her arms around her. “Mel, it’s going to be okay. Did you talk to Draco?” She nodded miserably.

“I just talked to him. Let’s just say he didn’t take it well. At all,” she said, tears running down her face at the memory.

“He’s an ass,” Pansy said angrily. “I’m sure he’s just panicking. He’ll realize it and come apologize soon, I swear.” Mel nodded, and they laid down together, curled up into a ball. But several hours later, it was clear Draco wasn’t coming by – and so Mel tearily fell asleep.

In Potions the next morning, Draco sat alone at his bench, Mel absent. Pansy said nothing to him, making Draco think that she knew, but he didn’t care. He went through the motions – going to class, meals – but didn’t see Mel anywhere. A few days later, she was still notably missing from class. Finally, he heard a knock at his door one night. Expecting to see Mel, he instead found Pansy.

“Can I come in?” she asked, and he nodded. “You need to get your head out of your ass, Draco,” she said plainly, and he seethed.

“Don’t fucking talk to me like that Pansy. Or about this at all.”

“Well, someone has to. I am so disappointed in you,” she said. “I honestly thought you loved her.”

“I do,” he snarled. “What are you talking about?”

“She has been in bed for days, refusing to go to class, barely eating, which can’t be good for the baby.” He felt nauseous at the word. “You should be there for her. She can’t do it without you. Right now, she thinks that you’re done – that you’re going to leave her alone with that baby and never speak to her again.”

“What if that is what I’m going to do?”

“If that’s your plan, you’re a coward,” she said, looking disgusted.

She got up and left the room, leaving him with nothing but his thoughts and the hot pool of guilt that was rapidly forming in his stomach. He looked at Aries, curled up on the chair near the fire, and though about how when he had committed murder, she had stood by him – sleeping next to him for a month, helping him shower, feeding him. She had never wavered, though he was now. He got up, and nervously walked up to the girls' dormitory, which was empty as everyone was at dinner. The curtains on Mel’s bed were closed. He walked over and took a breath before opening them. She was curled in a ball on her side, hair pulled back away from her face. She looked pale and tired. She glanced at him and looked surprised, but pulled herself up to face him. He didn’t know where to start.

“Are you okay?” he asked, and she shook her head no. He moved to put his arm around her, but she pulled away. “I’m so sorry, Mel, I have been a complete ass.”

“Yeah,” she said, not meeting his eyes.

“Have you eaten anything in the past week?” he asked, looking at her white face. She shrugged. “Mel, you know that no one has to know, right?”

“That’s not what I care about,” she said, tears coming to her eyes. “I care about you wanting nothing to do with me. And you leaving me alone.”

“That’s not true,” he said, taking her hand. “I love you so much. I’m so sorry for how I acted. I was just scared.”

“How do think I feel? I’m the one that’s…” she said, trailing off. He climbed in close to her, wrapping his arms around her.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said. “We’re going to deal with it together. This war is going to end eventually – and when it does, we’re going to be together. You, me and this baby. Okay?” She wiped her cheeks, still looking unconvinced.

“Can I?” he asked, placing a very soft hand on her stomach. She hesitated, but nodded. He slid his hand under her shirt, onto her still flat abdomen. He couldn’t feel anything, and he could almost pretend this was a bad dream. Almost. He looked up and kissed her, keeping his hand there. “I can’t believe it,” he said.

“Well, believe it. I’ve been throwing up all week,” she said. “It’s happening.”

"You know you don't... have to have it, if you don't want," he said slowly, and she shook her head. 

"I know. I... I've thought about it. But I can't," she said, tearily. "It's different for you - you don't understand. I don't have a family - I don't have anyone, except for you. And I don't even know if I have you. And even though I don't want the baby... I want it. I know that doesn't make sense to you, but I won't."

“Whatever you want. Mel, I’m really sorry for how I acted,” he said.

“I know. I just… I have to deal with this baby no matter what. How am I supposed to know that you’re not going to act like that again?” she asked, looking at him, her eyes blank. He missed the look of love that she used to give him.

“I know you don’t have a reason to trust me right now. I promise I’ll try to earn it back,” he said, cradling her head.

“Okay,” she said quietly.

“Can we please get you something to eat?” he asked, his hand still curled around her abdomen.

“Everything makes me nauseous,” she said. He helped her up and they walked to the Room of Requirement together, Mel not wanting to see anyone. When they arrived, there was a kitchen in the room. “Oh, thank god,” she said, opening the refrigerator to see cans of Ginger Ale. They curled on the couch, Mel lying between Draco’s legs, sipping a bowl of soup.

“Doing better?” he asked, stroking her hair.

“Significantly, since you decided to start talking to me again,” she said. “Draco, I don’t want anyone to know. We’ll be graduated in two months – I won’t be showing at all until then.” He nodded.

“Even my parents?”

“Especially them. The last thing I want them to do is go back to thinking that I’m the slut who is with their son, who he accidentally got pregnant,” she said, face pink.

“That is not what you are,” he said sharply. He looked at her seriously. “Would it make you feel better if we… you know – got married?” She looked at him with alarm.

“I don’t want you to want to marry me because I’m pregnant,” she said. “When I get married, I want it to be because I’m really happy and in love – not so our child won’t be a bastard.”

“Okay,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Whatever you want.”

“We’re going to need somewhere to live, too,” she said.

“I promise you, I will figure it out,” he said. “Everything will be okay.”

“Tell me what we’re going to do after this. With our baby,” she asked, staring into his eyes, desperate for an answer.

“We’re going to move into a big house with a yard, and we’re going to have our baby and get married, and have more,” he said, and she closed her eyes, leaning against his chest.

“What else?” she asked, and he created a mythical life for them – one that he didn’t believe would ever come to fruition. But it was nice to dream.

She went back to classes the next day, making up an excuse about some kind of stomach bug – which everyone accepted because they were more concerned about the war. Mel slept in his room every night as he grew increasingly protective, not wanting her to leave his sight. He woke up with her every morning to hold her hair back when she was sick, and he felt her growing more and more comfortable with him. However, Easter break was quickly approaching.

“I need you to stay here for Easter break, but I have to go back,” he said.

“Why? You can’t leave me here now,” she said, looking up from her essay.

“The Manor… it’s being used as the base now. It’s not safe for you there. I need to go home, but you can’t come. Especially not now.” She teared up.

“And what am I supposed to do if you don’t come back? What if something happens to you?” she asked.

“Then you and that baby will be just fine. That’s the most important thing,” he said, kissing her deeply. He lifted her shirt and kissed her abdomen, where it seemed each day the tiny bump grew more.

“I am so afraid,” she said.

“I know,” he said. “But I think it’s going to be over soon. One way or another.”

“Can we play the game again?”

“Sure, love.”


	14. Malfoy Manor

Draco's mother waited for him at the platform. She hovered around him as much as she could these days - like she was afraid he was going to disappear when she was away. Once they were in the car, she gave him a quick kiss. 

“How are you, Draco?” she asked. “Are things still good?” He nodded. 

“More or less. They’re okay.” 

“Is Melanie...?”

“Yes mother, Melanie is still alright. And still tolerating me,” he said. He wished he could tell her about the baby. He could almost hear his mother’s audible sigh of relief. “Such little faith in me, mother,” he said, cracking a small joke. 

“I know the situation is fraught right now. I’m very grateful that your relationship is surviving for now.” When he arrived home, he immediately brought his bags up to his room, and then went to the dungeons to check for Luna, praying that he would find her well. 

“Luna! I’m glad you’re okay,” Draco said. 

“Yes, I’m okay. Though I would like to get out of here,” she said. “Your parents have exceptionally kind house elves, Draco.” He smiled. Typical Luna. 

“We’ll work on that, Luna. I swear - I’m trying to think of something.” 

“I trust you, Draco,” she said plainly. He wished she wouldn’t. That night, after Greyback had brought in a few resistance members, and brought them upstairs for Bellatrix to torture them, Draco grabbed one of the confiscated wands and headed back downstairs. Along with a plate of food, he slipped Luna a wand. 

“I’m going to find an opportunity for you to use that,” he said. “Don’t use it until I do. Keep it hidden.” She nodded, tucking it into a back corner of the cell. When she turned around, he was gone. 

“What are the crew assignments for tonight?” Dolohov asked. They were going out on runs, looking for any members of the resistance or Muggleborns - but most particularly, Harry Potter. 

“You, me, Greyback and Draco,” Yaxley said. Draco was ill at the idea of going out. Not only was it dangerous, but he didn’t want the dungeons at Malfoy Manor getting any fuller. He already laid awake in bed every night, unable to get any sleep as he thought about Luna imprisoned below him. 

“Okay boys, let’s head out. Brooms are on the side of the house.” The Inner Circle had plotted out territories for the recon missions - they hit one per night, just a few hours at a time. Every time he went out, Draco wondered if it would be the last time. He would mention none of this to Mel, of course. He mounted his broom and lifted off the ground, pulling his hood over his head. After flying for around 30 minutes, they reached a nearby wooded area, outside of a town. The key to searching was to find small grounds of people hidden in plain sight - by protective charms. These people were on the run for a number of reasons - any one of which was punishable by death. The Death Eaters would fly in, shoot a few curses around, hoping to hit a protective shield and leave. Draco had never been on a run where they’d ever found anyone. 

“We’ll all split up. Malfoy - you’re over there,” Yaxley said. Draco walked near the edge of the forest, constantly on high alert from any threats. Unfortunately for him, he ran right into one. Though it wasn’t much of a threat. There was a small family - two parents, who looked young - only a bit older than Draco - and a young boy. They were cooking over an open flame, and had probably forgotten to recast their protective charms. Draco walked toward them slowly, his wand raised. He was met with two on him in return - both adults had terror in their eyes. 

“We need to be very quiet,” Draco said. “I’m not going to hurt you. But I do need you to not shout. There are other Death Eaters over there, okay? If they find out you’re here, and that I didn’t capture you, they’ll kill us all immediately.” Slowly, they nodded and put down their wands. “Okay - I’m going to help you cast a few protection charms. Then, I’m going to walk away, and act as though I haven’t checked this area.” They made quick work of it, with three people. Soon, they were invisible. Draco could hear only a slight muffled sound when he talked. “You’ll need to be very quiet. Otherwise, they’ll hear you. Okay, I’m going to walk away now.” He backed up, walked to the other side of the quadrant, and began poking around. 

“Malfoy! Did you find anything?” Greyback asked. 

“No - I thought I heard something a bit back, but it was just an animal,” he lied. 

“Always a scaredy cat, Malfoy,” Dolohov said. They walked back to the center of the quadrant, about to move onto the next one. 

“Wait,” Greyback said. “I heard something.” He turned around and listened closely, though all Draco heard was the wind. 

“I don’t hear anything. Come on, we have another quadrant to get through before we can leave,” Dolohov said. Greyback ignored him. He started walking toward Draco’s quadrant. As they all followed Draco’s heart dropped when he realized they could hear the faint, muffled cry of the baby. Greyback fired a first curse, and yelped in success as it visibly bounced off the protective shield. 

“Here!” he shouted, as they ran to meet him. The four of them fired on the shield, slowly chipping away at it. Before long, they revealed the family, quivering in fear. Greyback disarmed the two parents, scanning their wands. 

“Would you look at that - two Mudbloods, and their offspring. Unfortunately, the punishment for that offense is death,” Greyback said, sneering at them. 

“Please - please don’t kill the baby. He’s a wizard - I swear. He’s ours.” 

“You’re not really wizards, though. You’ve stolen your magic,” Dolohov said. “Sorry. No exceptions,” he said, with a laugh. Draco looked at his feet as they killed the two adults, listening to them scream for their child. “Who wants to do the kid?”

“No - I mean they’re right, he is a wizard - we don’t have to kill him. We could just... bring him back with us. You know Bella would want him,” Draco found himself saying desperately. 

“The Manor is no place for a child right now. Besides - if she knew he had Muggle blood, she wouldn’t be nearly as keen,” Dolohov said. “Kill him.” Draco closed his eyes tightly, but couldn’t stop the green light from seeping into his skull. 

“Take the wands. Leave the bodies,” Greyback said. “Let’s move on.” 

The time he’d spent at Malfoy Manor was the most scarring of his life. It was nearly time to go back to school, but he had no idea how he was going to face Mel after what he’d done.

“Draco - Draco!” he heard his mother shout from down the stairs. “Come here, quickly.” He raced down the stairs, seeing his mother at the front door of the Manor. “Greyback thinks that they’ve found Harry Potter,” his mother said tightly. His blood ran cold. “They want you to identify them.” He held his face steady, but panicked internally. He prayed that once he got outside, it would not be the Golden Trio sitting in front of him. But he cursed internally as he got closer and saw Ron’s flaming red hair, and Granger sitting in the front grass, crying. A third person lay on the ground. Draco knew it was Harry from the moment he saw him, but saw that something had been done to his face - it was horribly swollen, and he was almost unrecognizable - almost. They were with Dean Thomas and a goblin Draco didn’t recognize.

“Malfoy, we’ve rounded up a few of your old classmates,” Greyback said. “We just need a positive identification. Then we’ll call the Dark Lord, and this will all be over.” Draco’s limbs felt like lead as he walked over to the group. If there was ever a moment to make a stand, it was then. 

“Are you absolutely mad, Greyback?” Draco heard himself say. It was a haughty, confident voice. He hadn’t heard it for a while. “You think this is Harry Potter and his little gang?” He saw Greyback falter, but only slightly. 

“What do you mean? I recognize the girl - she’s in the Wanted ad, here,” he said, passing Draco the newspaper. He struggled to keep his face neutral as Hermione’s photo stared back at him. 

“You can’t be serious,” Draco continued. “You think this girl is Granger? Harry Potter’s sidekick? No - that is someone that I would actually fuck, Greyback. Look at the photo in that newspaper. Seriously. And look at this sad sack,” he said, gently kicking Harry’s shoulder. “I would be cautious about calling the Dark Lord for this. It’s quite a gamble. I’m just not quite sure it’s them,” he said. Greyback looked deflated. 

“I just thought...”

“It’s fine. Maybe it’s still them. We can bring them down to the dungeons, and talk to the Dark Lord tomorrow,” Draco said, mind racing. If he could get them down to the dungeons with Luna, maybe he could get them all out of here. 

“Draco! I heard the exciting news. Shall I call the Dark Lord?” Bellatrix said, stepping out into the grass and foiling his plans. 

“Bella, I’m not quite sure it’s them...” he said, before Bellatrix raised her arm. 

“What is that?” she asked, suddenly deadly quiet. She pointed at the pile of belongings the snatchers had collected. 

“Oh - we found it with them,” Greyback said. 

“You do realize that is the sword of Godric Gryffindor, right? The same sword that is supposed to be in my vault at Gringotts right now? No one press your Marks if you want to see morning,” Bellatrix hissed. Draco flooded with relief. There was a bigger crisis - no one would know if he lied. Bellatrix immediately stunned the snatchers in anger. 

“Draco, bring them to the dungeons. I need to figure out what to do with this sword first. However, I do think that’s the Granger girl. Bring me her and the goblin. I’ll deal with them.” Bellatrix strode back inside, Hermione and the goblin at her side, carrying the sword. Draco led the other three back downstairs, into the empty dungeons, where Luna and Ollivander already sat, imprisoned. 

“Malfoy... that was brilliant,” Harry said. “Why are you doing this? Helping us?” Draco paused, looking at Potter and Weasley.

“Mel – she’s pregnant.”

“Merlin,” Weasley said, eyes wide.

“I need this to be over. As annoying as you are Potter, somehow I feel like you’re my best chance. So here we are,” Draco said. “Luna, do you still have the wand?” She nodded. “Brilliant. Okay. We’ve got to get your wands so that you can apparate out of here. I’ll work on that, but I can’t promise anything.” They heard a shriek coming from upstairs.

“Hermione,” Ron said, and began up the stairs toward her. 

“Don’t move a muscle, Weasley,” Draco said in a low voice. “You go up there, and we’re all dead. I’ll try to diffuse the situation upstairs. She’s going to call the Dark Lord - we probably have twenty minutes, tops. Okay? Let me figure it out.” They nodded and got into the cell as Draco bounded upstairs. He turned and saw Bellatrix questioning Hermione - so far, she was holding up under the pressure, but he wasn’t sure for how long. Suddenly, he heard a crack that sounded like someone Apparating into the dungeons - and so did his father and Bellatrix. 

“Draco, Pettigrew - go check that out,” Bellatrix said. Once they went down the stairs, Ron and Harry grabbed Pettigrew. Draco stunned him from behind, knocking him out. He noticed that Luna, Dean and Ollivander were gone. 

“Dobby - he came back for us,” Harry explained. “We need to get Hermione.” 

“Okay, just follow my lead. Potter, take my wand. Use someone else's to disarm me. Otherwise it won’t work as well, and it seems like you need all the help you can get,” he said. Harry quickly did so. “And would you... stun my mother if you get a chance? I don’t want her to get hurt.” They walked out of the dungeons, Draco first with his hands above his head. His father and Bellatrix paused. Draco quickly rolled out of the way, and Potter stunned Lucius and Narcissa, while Ron used Pettigrew’s wand to disarm Bellatrix. Ron ran over to Bellatrix to grab Hermione, but she held a small knife to Hermione’s throat. 

“Not so fast, Weasley,” Bellatrix said, grinning. “Wands on the ground - Draco, collect them, please.” Draco’s heart sank as Ron and Harry put their wands on the ground. He walked over, about to pick his back up. Suddenly, he heard a shaking from above him, and he saw the House Elf had reappeared, and was now about to send the chandelier flying onto him.

“Bella!” he shouted, before rolling out of the way. His aunt did the same, letting go of Hermione. Very quickly, before Draco had even noticed what was happening, Harry and Ron had managed to collect their wands, and Hermione, and disapparate, along with the Goblin and the sword. Bellatrix threw her knife, hoping to hit Potter, but Draco saw it enter Dobby’s chest as they disappeared. 

“What the fuck was that,” Bellatrix snarled. “How did that house elf get in here?” 

“He used to work for us,” Lucius said quietly. “He was allowed inside.” Bellatrix screamed in frustration.

“Always making things hard for us, Lucius. Always.” The Dark Lord arrived, eager to find Harry Potter, who he’d been desperately seeking. When Bellatrix told him that the three had narrowly escaped, he flew into a rage, and destroyed half the room. 

“Lucius - how could you let this happen?” He raged. “You know what this means.” Voldemort walked over to Draco’s mother. 

“No - me. Anyone. Not Narcissa.” Lucius begged. 

“Relax Lucius. I’m not going to kill her. I’m going to torture her until you remember what happens when you defy me. It will serve as a good lesson for young Draco, too.” Raising his wand, Draco watched helplessly as the Dark Lord performed the Cruciatus curse on his mother. When she cried out, Draco couldn’t help but think of Mel. How she’d be used against him if he were to make a single mistake. As her cries continued, he felt very thankful that both Harry Potter and Mel were far, far away from here.


	15. The Battle of Hogwarts

“You’re sure that you feel okay?” Draco asked, his arms around Mel’s back as they were reunited after the break.

“I’m sure,” she said, as he kissed her. She looked tired.

“Well, let’s get some rest,” he said, picking her up and getting into bed with her.

“I went to Madam Pomfrey,” she said, and he stared at her. “I’m sorry for not telling you – I just wanted to make sure the baby was okay.”

“What did she say?”

“I heard the heartbeat,” Mel said, and stared at him with clear, emotionless eyes. “The baby’s due in December.” She looked down at her fingertips, legs crossed.

“And how do you feel about that?” he asked slowly. She shrugged.

“It doesn’t really matter how I feel about it, right? It’s happening. But to be honest, I am terrified. More than terrified.”

“I know,” he said, pulling her into a hug and stroking her back. “We’ll get through it. We’ll figure it out.”

“It’s not just having the baby though – it’s the next eighteen years. It’s being a parent,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m starting to think we should consider giving it up.”

“What?” he said, shocked, pulling back from her. Although he wasn’t overly keen on the idea of being a parent either, he couldn’t bear the idea of someone else raising his child. Their child. “Mel, no. We’re – this is our baby.”

“You don’t want it. I don’t even know if you’re going to stick around. This is really hard for me,” she said, tears spilling over her cheeks.

“Do you… want it?”

“I don’t want to want it. But I do – of course I do,” she said miserably.

“I’m not going to leave you,” he said quietly. “Let’s get through the next few weeks first. Then we can figure everything out. I promise.” He wanted to talk to her about the things he’d experienced, what had happened, but she looked so small, so fragile. There was no way he could burden her with this right now. And so he held it inside and squashed it, even though it kept him awake at night, staring at the ceiling and thinking of everything he’d seen, that he would never be able to forget.

It turned out that they didn’t have a few weeks. Only a week later, Snape had called them all out of bed – late. Draco gripped Mel’s hand as they walked into the hall. When Harry appeared, and McGonagall and Snape began to duel, he felt like his limbs had been turned to lead. They’d almost made it out without seeing a battle here. Almost. They began to evacuate students, and Draco glanced at Mel.

“You need to get out of here – somewhere safe.” Pansy grabbed Mel's hand. 

"Most of the Slytherins are evacuating along with the younger students. Come with me. Blaise and I - we'll keep you safe," she said quickly. 

"And leave Draco here? And everyone else? I can't. I'm staying," she said firmly. Over his shoulder, he heard Harry having the same argument with Ginny.

“He’ll seek you out, Gin. Please, please go.”

“I’m not leaving,” she said angrily.

“Fine – just, stay in the Room of Requirement, okay? At least for a while.” Draco whirled around.

“Mel’s coming with you,” he said firmly.

“Draco – no, I don’t want us to be separated,” she said desperately.

“Well, you can’t come out with the Death Eaters, can you?” he said quietly. “No - don’t cry. It’s going to be okay.” 

“I don’t want to lose you,” she said, burying her face in his chest. “It’s not fair.”

“Well, once everything starts, we’re back on the same side. And I’ll find you as soon as I can, I promise. Okay?” She nodded. “Mel - you’re going to be okay no matter what happens tonight. Even if I... you’ll be okay. And I love you so much. You have actually made the past year and half worth living. If this is... it, there’s no other way that I would have spent this time. I wouldn’t change a thing,” he said, feeling himself getting a bit choked up at the thought of leaving her alone. He prayed it wouldn’t happen. He wanted to mention the baby, but Harry and Ginny stood nearby, pretending they weren’t listening, though they were.

“Stop - please don’t talk like that. I don’t want to live a life without you in it. Think about the things we said we’d do instead, okay? I love you.” They embraced, kissing and not caring who saw. He kissed her forehead and then her lips one last time, before wiping his eyes and walking back over to Crabbe and Goyle. He could feel McGonagall’s eyes on him - her pity was nearly palpable even from across the room. 

“Let’s go,” Draco said, walking outside with Crabbe and Goyle. Thankfully neither of them said anything - they simply left him alone as the three made their way to the Forbidden Forest, where the forces were gathering. 

“Draco!” he heard, and he turned to see his parents among the crowd. It was massive. Not only Death Eaters, but families, sympathizers, horrifying creatures - trolls, giants, massive spiders - it made his stomach turn up in knots. “I’m glad to see you,” his father said. “Where’s Melanie?” Draco couldn’t meet his eyes. 

“Inside,” he said, his voice cracking. 

“Oh, darling,” Narcissa said, embracing him. He hugged her tightly. He could see his mother tearing up a bit, too. “She’s a strong girl. It’s possible she’ll...” she said, trailing off. It was true, he thought. Looking at the massive crowd of dark wizards, it was impossible to think that the students inside would be okay. 

“Draco,” Snape said, walking up beside them. “The Inner Circle is waiting back here. We need to let the first line of defenses come down, and then we’ll go in,” Snape said. They nodded and returned to the back of the crowd, where Voldemort himself stood, giving orders. 

“Draco,” he said, “I have a task for you. And for Yaxley, Dolohov and Bellatrix - but I feel that you may have the best chance of success. I need you to find Harry Potter inside, and I need you to stop him from destroying the artifact he seeks. Crabbe and Goyle can go with you.” Draco nodded. At least this gave him an opportunity to help Harry - though he would obviously have to lose Crabbe and Goyle. In the distance, he could see protective charms flying above the castle, encasing it in a golden globe. He thought of Melanie inside. It was the worst moment of his life. 

After the protective charms were down, it was time. The Inner Circle headed into the fray, essentially walking through the front gates and into the Great Hall. Draco cringed when he walked inside. The castle was in rough shape. There were stone pillars smashed by the trolls, bodies of injured and dead students and Death Eaters alike lying on the ground. The air was smoky. As they walked inside, Draco darted off to the side, with Crabbe and Goyle in close pursuit, away from the others. They watched as members of the Order descended on the group, as other Death Eaters came out of the wings to protect them. 

“Let’s get going. Crabbe, you and Goyle first. I’ll bring up the rear. Remember - if you see Potter, we can’t kill him. Just find whatever he’s looking for,” Draco said. They nodded and started off, along the sides of the room and away from the main battle.

“Malfoy! Here,” Crabbe yelled, as he ran down a hallway. Draco saw Harry’s dark hair, and the red hair of Ginny Weasley. Draco’s mouth felt dry – why was Ginny outside? Crabbe fired a curse in their general direction, but missed. 

“Hey - no curses! We’re too far. You’re giving us away,” Draco said, panicked. He hadn’t thought this far in advance. Harry ducked into the Room of Requirement with Ron and Hermione, as the three followed. He felt ill – this was why. Whatever Potter needed, it was in here. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ginny and Mel peering into the room, before darting around the corner – towards the battle. He wanted to scream. Instead he took a deep breath and continued on.

The room was filled to the brim with junk - it was the storage side, Draco recognized. He spotted the vanishing cabinet, among other piles of furniture, clothing, jewelry - the place for everything lost. “Split up - call out if you corner one of them. No curses as to not give away where we are.” 

“I’m done listening to you, Malfoy. You’re a shitty leader,” Crabbe said. Before Draco could stop him, he had cast Fiendfyre, and flames engulfed the room. 

“Why would you do this? We’re trapped in here,” Draco said, panicking. Crabbe and Goyle ran toward the other side of the room, as the fire began to encompass them. He spotted Harry climbing up a stack of furniture, making his way toward several broomsticks. But Crabbe saw him too. And he was raising his wand. 

“Crabbe!” Draco cried out, but Crabbe either didn’t hear or didn’t care. Quickly, Draco raised his wand and stunned Crabbe, causing him to fall to the ground. Harry whipped around and saw that Draco had saved him. Suddenly, Draco felt the warm lick of the flames behind him. Turning around, he was face to face with a massive dragon made of fire. He cast Aguamenti, but it was no use. As he closed his eyes and prepared for the flames to engulf him, he felt an arm pull him up. Opening his eyes, he found himself on the back of Harry’s broom, and Goyle on the back of Ron’s. Looking down, Draco didn’t see Crabbe. He only saw layers and layers of flames. Refusing to think about it, he turned back to Harry. “Potter - what do you need?” 

“A diadem - a crown. It’s somewhere in here,” he said. They scanned the room, flames dangerously close to their feet. Suddenly, Draco saw a glint. 

“There!” Hary dove, seeker-style, into the flames. He quickly grabbed the diadem and flew immediately out of the flames. Without even slowing down, the group flew into the opening of the door. It slammed shut just as Draco and Harry escaped last, and disappeared. They collapsed onto the floor, and Draco watched as the diadem began smoking, before it eventually exploded into dust. 

“The fire - it destroyed it. Just one more now,” Harry said. Draco didn’t quite understand, but he did know that he’d just helped destroy the very thing Voldemort told him to protect. He had also abandoned Crabbe, leaving him to die. 

“Potter - what else do you need? It’s getting bad out there,” Draco said. 

“I need to find out where he is,” Harry said. They backed into a dark corner of the hallway while Draco stood watch. Harry closed his eyes, and sat down. A few moments later, he opened them again. “The Shrieking Shack. Your father is there, Draco. So is the snake. We need to get rid of the snake, and then we can kill him.” 

“That’s the other side of the school. How are we supposed to get over there?” Ron asked. No one spoke for a moment. 

“We’re going to get you over there, okay? Potter, put the cloak on. Get behind me. Let’s get a few more people, and we’re going to get you over there,” Draco repeated. 

“Malfoy - it’s -” Harry started, but Draco stopped him. 

“We’re wasting time. People are dying out there. If I’m going to be one of them, so be it. But you can’t. And Mel can’t. This needs to end.” The four heard a crash. Running out to the Great Hall, Draco watched in horror as one of the massive walls of the Great Hall caved in, letting in a flood of giant spiders. 

“Fred!” Ron shouted, rushing over to the rubble and flinging it to the side with his wand. Another Weasley brother appeared too. Draco could tell as soon as he saw Fred that he was dead. As they watched, a curse narrowly missed Hermione. Draco fired another one back. 

“We need to move,” Draco said to her, and she nodded. 

“Harry, Ron - we have to go,” she said somberly, as Draco deflected more curses around them. Ron looked pained as they darted across the droom, being pursued by several massive spiders. All around them, students were dueling. Some were holding their own, while others looked to be in trouble. However, Draco didn’t let his focus leave the Trio. They stopped to take a look at the scene and determine their next move. 

“Malfoy,” Professor McGonagall said, “are you all right?” Draco touched his head and realized he was bleeding from either the rubble, the fire, or both. 

“I’m fine. Professor - Potter is under the cloak here. With Granger and Weasley. I need to get them to the Shrieking Shack. Can you help me?” Without another word, McGonagall levitated some of the rubble with her wand, and used it as a shield. They moved behind it, slowly but surely making their way through the Great Hall. Suddenly, Draco watched as Hermione threw off the cloak and rushed toward a body on the ground. Fenrir Greyback was hunched over a student, ripping out their throat. After Hermione struck him with a hex that shot him across the room and sent him smashing into a wall, Draco could see that it was Lavender Brown. She, too, was dead. They continued on, Harry no longer bothering with the cloak. The scene was utter chaos. Draco tried looking for Mel, but he couldn’t see her. Finally, they reached the outside of the castle. He looked up in horror as a dark cloud began to descend over the school. 

“Dementors,” Harry said. They all lifted their wands, and attempted to cast a Patronus. Only Harry and McGonagall were successful. He had never been able to cast a Patronus. Draco couldn’t think of a happy memory even if he tried. Everything was so dark and bloody - he had no clue if Mel was even alive. Potter’s Patronus soon sputtered out too, and the Dementors once again drew closer. Suddenly, there was a burst of light from behind them. Draco turned to see Luna, Ginny and Mel, all looking tired but determined as they cast their charms, sending the Dementors back into the Forbidden Forest. It felt as if the oxygen had returned to the room - not only because the Dementors were gone, but because Mel was alive. He ran up to embrace her. 

“Draco,” she said, as he wrapped her in his arms. He could tell she was exhausted. 

“Are you okay?” He asked. She nodded. “I need to get these three to the Shrieking Shack. Afterwards, I’ll come find you. I promise. Okay?” 

“Don’t go,” she said, and he could tell she was scared as they huddled next to what was formerly the front courtyard. 

“I know, love. But I have to get them there. We have to end this.” She wiped her eyes and nodded. Though it killed him, he stood back up and once again shielded the Trio as they ran toward the shrieking shack. It was blessedly dark once they got some distance from the castle and ran towards the Whomping Willow. They stopped just outside of the reach of the swinging branches. 

“I can’t believe we made it,” Ron said. Draco felt the same. He was exhausted. 

“I guess this is where my road ends,” Draco said, making a move to leave. 

“I’m pretty sure we owe you our lives again, Malfoy,” Harry said. “Thank you.” He nodded, not feeling like getting into it. 

“Good luck out there. I’m going to head back up to the castle,” he said. With that, the three disappeared underneath the branches of the tree, and into a passageway. Draco took a deep breath. It was silent on the grounds - the battle raged in the background, but he was blessedly alone. He took a quick moment to himself before getting back into the fray. 

Mel haphazardly cast another curse at a dark figure. It felt like the battle had been raging on for days. She had it down to a routine. First, identify if the person in front of her was a Death Eater. Then, check for silvery blonde hair. Finally, send a hex their way. She was starting to feel dizzy. It was taking a lot out of everyone - at a number of points, she was very nearly hit with the Killing Curse, but was able to block it through a wandless charm. She’d seen so many people die. Fred - crushed by stone. Tonks - killed by a Death Eater. Lavender Brown had her throat ripped out by Greyback right in front of her. She felt numb. As she fired yet another hex, she noticed something in the distance - silver hair. 

“Draco - did they make it?” Mel asked, disarming another Death Eater. He nodded, helping her out. He looked worse for wear - his head was bleeding, covered in debris. Suddenly, a loud voice sounded throughout the castle. It was Voldemort - announcing a one hour pause for Harry to turn himself in. The Death Eaters quickly apparated away, leaving only the wreckage in their wake. It was a nightmare. So many dead. Mel couldn’t look anywhere without seeing a body on the ground. “Are you going to leave?” she asked, looking up at him. 

“I’m not leaving you again. We’re together through the end of this now, one way or another,” he said. “Hey – do you feel okay?”

“I’m just a little dizzy and tired,” she said. He wrapped his arms around her and they slid to the floor. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest. He, on the other hand, sat, unseeing - a blank stare over his face. Neville and Luna came and sat with them, along with a few other Gryffindors. Most of the Slytherin students had escaped before the battle started. Ginny, along with the rest of the Weasleys, were nearby. Through the front door, the Trio appeared. They looked distraught - Harry was covered in blood. While Ron and Hermione joined them, Harry darted up the stairs. 

“What’s happened? Whose blood is that?” 

“Snape’s,” Hermione said. “He’s dead.” Mel opened her eyes and looked at him. Draco felt an immense loss. His godfather was the only reason that he was even sitting here right now - even had a chance to make it out of this. Mel squeezed him tighter. He stood up, needing a moment. She followed him down the hall, and held him closely as a few tears slipped out. 

“Sorry - um - I don’t want to interrupt...” Neville said, appearing from down the hallway. Before Neville could continue, Harry appeared. He nearly walked the other direction, but then quickly walked up to the three. “Everything alright, Harry?”

“Yes, everything’s fine. But listen, Neville, there’s something I need you to do. That I need everyone to do. I need you to kill the snake. Voldemort’s snake. I need you all to do that,” he said, not looking into their eyes. 

“Harry, something’s wrong. You’re acting funny,” Mel said, and it was true. “You’re not thinking of going to the forest right now, are you? That would be insane.” He didn’t respond for a moment. 

“Yes, I’m going. I have to. It’s... all part of the plan. I’m only asking you to do two things - kill the snake... and don’t tell anyone.” Neville started to protest. 

“Harry no, there’s no need for that -”

“Malfoy,” Harry said, looking at him. “Can you make sure that happens?” Draco nodded. 

“Yes.” 

“Is there any other way? There has to be...” Mel trailed off. 

“We’ll make sure it happens, Potter.” They shared an understanding - both knew what it was like to have to complete a mission bigger than them, with no guarantee of your own safety. Harry nodded, looking at Draco for a final moment before putting the cloak on and walking away. They looked at each other in shock. “It’s okay - I think Ron and Hermione will know. Let’s not tell anyone else, okay? We can figure out how to get the snake when things start up again.” They walked back to the Great Hall - healing anyone that they could, taking a moment to rest. 

“Harry Potter is dead!” The words reverberated throughout the castle. Everyone froze. Mel looked at Draco. She could see around her people looking at each other in disbelief, before they all began the walk outside to the entryway to see what had happened. In a slow, death march toward the castle, hundreds of Death Eaters walked toward them. In the very front, Voldemort walked, the snake curling around his feet. And next to him, Hagrid. He was carrying a body. Mel squeezed Draco’s hand. He could tell she was afraid. They heard McGonagall cry out, and then Ginny, Ron and Hermione. Soon everyone was shouting - it was deafening. Voldemort silenced them all with a charm. 

“Harry Potter is dead,” he said with a smile. “And now, we’re going to finish this resistance, once and for all. If there’s anyone that wants to join our ranks, we welcome you with open arms. If not... you won’t make it through tonight.” They stood among the rubble, among the bodies - a large gap between the resistance and the Death Eaters. Draco’s parents stood near the front of the crowd. “Step forward now, if you’d like to join us.” The air was silent. No one moved a muscle. 

“Draco,” he heard his father call out, but Draco couldn’t even meet his eyes. He looked down at Mel, and her clear eyes looked back at him. She shook her head, and he nodded. He knew she’d never join the people who killed her family, even if it meant the end of her life as well. And he had no plans to move. As Neville stepped up and spoke, Draco felt like he was in a fog as he finally made eye contact with his family. His mother was crying silently, his father looked distraught, still motioning to him. It hurt, but Mel’s grip on his hand grounded him. If he were going to die, it would be here, next to her. Mid-thought, he heard a group of people gasp – something important had happened, and he’d missed it.

“Draco,” Mel hissed. “Harry – he’s…” Before she could finish, Draco caught a glimpse of Harry darting by, with Voldemort in quick pursuit, roaring in anguish. Once the Death Eaters realized Voldemort had failed to kill Harry again, there was a mass exodus – they were apparating away left and right, abandoning the cause. “Come on!” Mel said, tugging his arm. They ran into the Great Hall, whereit was clear the tide had turned. There were centaurs now - more wizards, who had come up the tunnels from Hogsmede to fight. They had a chance. He stuck next to Mel and they began dueling. The crowd was diminishing quickly - Death Eaters were either quickly being taken down, or they were apparating away to save themselves. Draco and Mel worked together to take down more than a few Death Eaters, though multiple curses at a time were coming their way.Over the corner of his shoulder, he could see a figure approaching them, raising his wand at Mel. He put up a shield charm and whipped around to find himself face to face with Yaxley.

"Traitor," Yaxley spat, attempting to hit Mel with yet another killing curse as she fended off several others. 

"Get away from her," Draco said murderously, and Yaxley tripped over a fallen piece of rubble. Once he had, Draco didn't hesitate. He cast his second killing curse and felt no remorse as he watched the light leave Yaxley's eyes. He turned back to Mel without a second thought. All in front of him. he watched others go down - Dolohov, Rodolphus - and the rest apparated out. 

Finally, it was only Bella and Voldemort left. Draco knew his mother would be crying if she had been there as her sister dueled Molly Weasley, and especially when he watched as Molly’s curse hit Bella straight in the chest, and she fell. Finally, it was only Potter and Voldemort left in the middle of the room. 

“It’s over. You’re done,” Harry said, as they circled, looking at one another. 

“Even if I’m alone, you’ll never be able to defeat me. This wand... it’s unbeatable,” Voldemort said, rolling it between his hands. 

“It’s unbeatable when it serves its true master,” Harry said. “Which you aren’t.” 

“You fool. I killed Severus, just now. Severus killed Dumbledore. And now I’m going to kill you.” 

“Snape didn’t kill Dumbledore, Tom,” Harry said. “Draco Malfoy did. Dumbledore orchestrated his own death, for this moment precisely. He knew you’d murder to get what you wanted. So he had to protect the real master of the Elder Wand - Draco Malfoy. Except Malfoy was working with Dumbledore. As was Snape. And Malfoy allowed me to disarm him a few weeks ago, at Malfoy Manor.” Voldemort looked stunned, finally realizing what it all meant.

Without another word, they suddenly cast their spells at one another - Harry’s overtaking and striking Voldemort’s before long. When the spell hit, Draco couldn’t look away. Voldemort was there one moment, and gone the next - in a pile of ash. He felt Mel’s arms around him and was aware that people were cheering, but all he felt was exhaustion. Pure exhaustion flooded through his body, and he almost collapsed as Mel jumped into him. 


	16. Aftermath

Draco sat in the Great Hall, Mel curled around him, waiting for the sense of relief to kick in – but it never came. It was instead replaced with anxiety about the future. Reality set in – Mel was pregnant, and in seven months, he as going to be a father. He felt a wave of nausea roll over him that didn’t go away even as they returned to his room for the night, Mel falling asleep right away. He, on the other hand, stared at the ceiling until morning. Memories ran through his head of the things he'd done over the past two years - horrible things. No child would ever want a father who'd done what he'd done.

They moved back into the Manor with his mother, temporarily. Lucius had been arrested and was likely going to Azkaban, so she could use the company and they needed somewhere to stay. He still found himself wanting to put off telling his mother about the baby – every day they were going to a funeral, comforting those who’d lost family. Mel spent a few nights at the Burrow, as Ginny was inconsolable over the loss of her brother and several friends.

“I’m sure you’re wanting to look for your own space,” his mother said one day, as they ate breakfast together. “I’ve made you an appointment with an agent who can help.”

“Thank you, Mother,” Draco said, and Mel looked at him expectantly, but he couldn’t say anything. Instead, they got dressed and into the Floo, where they arrived at an office in London. After greeting them, they sat down with the agent.

“So – your first place, that’s exciting,” he said kindly. “What are you thinking – a flat in London, perhaps? Near the popular bars and restaurants?”

“We’d like something with more space,” Mel said. “Perhaps a house… outside of the city?” Draco had known it was coming, but it still felt strange. They should be moving into a flat near the best bars in London, going out every night. Instead, they were moving away from everyone, to an isolating, dull home.

“Very well,” the agent said. “I have a few good options.” He pulled out some papers, showing off the photos, talking about kitchens, backyards, bedrooms. Mel listened, asking questions, while Draco zoned out, feeling numb.

“This one’s nice – don’t you think, Draco?” She held a paper in front of him, showing him a photo of a house.

“Yeah, I suppose,” he said. She stared at him, but said nothing.

“Could we see it?”

“Certainly. Just step outside here, and we’ll apparate.” They grasped arms, and soon they arrived in a grassy field, in front of a small stone cottage, covered in ivy.

“Oh, it’s beautiful,” Mel said. Draco could see the nearby homes, but just barely.

“Rose Cottage. Five bedrooms, lots of land – a lovely place to live,” he said. He showed them around the cottage, which he could tell Mel really liked.

“So here’s the main bedroom, and then this room right across the hall could be for the baby,” Mel said, taking his arm.

“Yeah, it’s nice,” he said absentmindedly.

“I’ll give you two a few minutes to discuss,” the agent said. He disappeared, and Mel turned to Draco, tears in her eyes. He could see the despair coming off of her, and he knew what was coming.

“I can tell you don’t want this. You’re trying to do the right thing, but you really don’t want this,” she said. He said nothing for a moment.

“I’m really trying,” he said finally.

“Well, you don’t have to be with me just because I’m pregnant. I can handle it,” she said.

“Mel, stop. I just… I don’t know what I want, okay? I want you – I just want you before this had ever happened.”

“Don’t you think I feel the same? However, we are now a package deal,” she said, looking tired. “Maybe we should live separately.”

“What?” he asked.

“I really like it here. It’s a nice place to raise a baby, I think. You know that I have some money from my parents, and selling their house – I think I’ll buy it. And you can get the flat in London, for now at least.”

“What does that mean for us, though?”

“It seems like you need some space to think about what you want,” she said. “I know what I want. I want you – baby or not. But you… you don’t seem so sure if you want this. So I want to give you the space to figure that out.”

“But we’re not – are we breaking up?” he asked, feeling sick.

“We’re… taking a break. We can see where we stand in a little while,” she said.

“Mel – I love you,” he said.

“I know,” she said, but didn’t return the sentiment. “I’m going to go downstairs and tell him that I’d like to buy this place. And that we’re going to look for a flat as well, for the weekends. I know he’s your mother’s friend.” He nodded, his mouth feeling as if it were filled with cotton as she left the room. They returned to the Manor together, Mrs. Malfoy excited about their new living situation, and Mel chatting with her kindly. The next day, they packed up and moved out, and Draco helped Mel get settled in Rose Cottage.

“Well, I think I can take it from here,” she said. “Thanks for helping.” They stood frozen, two people unsure of what to do or where they stood.

“I feel like a complete and utter ass,” Draco said, running his hands through his hair.

“I’ll be fine,” Mel said, although there were tears running down her cheeks. “I can handle it."

“So – should we like… check in, or something? I don’t know how this works,” he admitted.

“Well, I think you know where I stand. I’m here, the Floo is open. I’d say that this is up to you. If I don’t hear from you in a few weeks…” she said, shrugging uncomfortably. “I’ll know where we stand.”

“Okay,” he said softly, and wrapped his arms around her. She hesitated before doing the same. He leaned in to kiss her, out of habit, but she turned her face away. With that, he stepped into the Floo, and Mel burst into tears, sinking onto the couch.

They spent their first night apart very differently. Mel was fairly inconsolable, sitting in the cottage full of boxes, and spent the night wrapped in a blanket on the couch. Draco, on the other hand, got absurdly drunk, stumbling to a dive bar on the street. A girl with long blonde hair – who, blessedly, looked nothing like Mel, put her arm around him at the bar and he let her. He pressed her up against the wall of the bar, kissing her, knowing it felt so wrong but doing it anyway. And he brought her back to his flat, reveling in the warm body underneath him that meant he didn’t have to be alone with his thoughts. When he woke up next to her the following morning, he felt physically sick. After he kicked her out, he immediately threw up, partially from the hangover but mostly from the disgust he felt with himself.

Mel was alone for a few days before she sent an owl to Ginny, explaining to her what had happened, but not mentioning the baby. She immediately wrote back, urging Mel to come to the Burrow and bring a bag, which she did.

“Jesus, Mel,” Ginny said as soon as she arrived, and Mel collapsed into her arms in tears. “What the fuck happened?”

“Shit got real, I guess. It’s not necessarily permanent – it’s just a break.” When they made their way downstairs, Mel could tell that Ginny had already told the group what happened, as they looked on her with pity, which made her cry again.

“Hi Melanie, dear,” Mrs. Weasley said, wrapping her in a hug. “Don’t cry now, it will all sort itself out. You stay here as long as you’d like.” She nodded, saying thanks. Harry and Ron looked at her urgently, desperately, and Mel immediately could tell they knew about the baby, although she didn’t know how. As soon as they got the opportunity, they pulled her into a room, shutting the door behind them.

“Mel,” Harry said, looking at her in a paternalistic way that made her tear up again. “Malfoy told us – about the baby.”

“Please don’t tell anyone,” she said, embarrassed by how her voice cracked. “This is terrible enough as it is.”

“Is that why…?” Harry asked.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “He’s just panicking, but… I don’t want to be with someone who doesn’t really want to be with me. He’s not a bad person, but he’s not ready for this. Not that I am – but I’ll handle it. It will be fine.”

“Fucking Malfoy,” Ron said, seething.

“Well, look Mel, if there’s ever anything you need or anything we can do – we’re here,” Harry said, and Mel felt equal parts shame and relief. She nodded. They heard movement behind them, and all three realized that they were not alone. George – who spent every moment since the war sulking – was sitting in an armchair, looking sheepish.

“Sorry – you all didn’t exactly give me a chance to announce myself,” he said. “I won’t say anything, I promise.” Mel recognized that he was Fred’s twin, and relaxed a bit. She nodded.

“Are you going to be okay?” Harry asked, and she nodded.

“Just… give me a minute,” she said, and they left her be.

“I didn’t mean to intrude, really,” George apologized again, and she waved him off again, wiping a few tears off her face. “Do you want to sit?” She hesitated, but sat down on the Ottoman, across from him.

“Well,” she offered. “…now you know my dark secret, even though we don’t really know each other well.”

“I know who you are. Gin’s talked to us about you before. She calls you her “brilliant friend” who somehow is in love with Draco Malfoy, and probably needs her head checked”.” Mel smiled a bit, but looked sad. “Sorry – I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

“It’s fine. It’s the truth – I am both in love with Draco and need my head checked.” She paused. “I’m really sorry about your brother. You’re probably sick of hearing that.”

“Well, normally yes. Because no one understands what it’s like to have your twin die. But you may currently be beating me in miserable life circumstances,” George said, a ghost of a smile on his pale face. “I know your parents died. Not only did you also have to go through the war, but now you’re pregnant with a bastard child – a Malfoy, no less – and Malfoy’s gone and been an ass.” Mel surprised herself by laughing, and the ghost of a smile on George’s face became a real one.

“I don’t know if that’s funny or depressing.”

“It can be both,” George said. “As a fellow depressed person, I know you probably haven’t eaten in the past few days. So let’s go get some breakfast,” he said. They got up and re-entered the kitchen, and immediately all eyes were on them. “Don’t you tossers have anything better to stare at?” George asked.

“We just – heard a laugh,” Ginny admitted.

“What’s the saying – misery loves company?” George said, giving Mel a side glance. “We’re even going to eat breakfast.”

“Excellent!” Mrs. Weasley shrilled. “Melanie, I am so glad you’re here.”

Mel stayed at the Weasleys for a few days, feeling thankful for all of the company. She and George had spent a lot of time together, and got on exceptionally well. Mrs. Weasley insisted sending Mel home with food for a week, and George offered to go back with her.

“This is great,” he said, as they entered the home.

“There’s still a ton of unpacking to do, obviously. Given the circumstances, I haven’t really done much.”

“Want some help?”

“Oh, you really don’t have to do that,” she said.

“What else am I going to do? My options are this or think about my dead brother again. Plus, you shouldn’t have to do this alone,” he said.

“Okay,” she agreed, and they started in the kitchen and unpacked the dishes she’d ordered. They were moving onto the living room when Mel heard the Floo and froze.

“Mel?” she heard Draco say, before he walked into the living room.

“Hi,” she said, feeling a massive wave of anxiety. Draco stared at George, ice in his eyes.

“What the fuck is going on?” he spat. “Replacing me already?”

“Of course not,” Mel said, keeping her voice even. “I stayed at the Weasleys for a few days, and she sent me home with some food and a few other things. George came back with me to help carry it all, and he offered to help unpack.”

“What Weasley, saw your chance and dove in, wanted to take care of her when she’s vulnerable?”

“Draco, stop!” Mel shouted, and Draco was surprised with how steady her voice sounded. “Seriously, what is wrong with you?”

“I’m not taking care of her, Malfoy. Clearly, she can do that herself,” George said. “You’re being an ass, even for you.” He turned back to Mel. “Are you okay if I go?” She nodded, and he disappeared, leaving the two of them staring at each other.

“What is happening?” Mel asked, sinking into the couch. “You’re being so awful.” Draco felt the hot burn of shame in his stomach.

“I’m sorry,” he croaked. “I don’t know what I’m doing.” He sat next to her, craving comfort.

“Well, you need to figure it out,” she said, firmly. “This is not the person that I want to be with.”

“Mel, I miss you so much,” he found himself saying. He grabbed her hand. “I don’t want to be without you.”

“You can’t say this stuff unless you know it’s true,” Mel said shakily.

“It’s true, I promise. I love you,” he said, and kissed her, and she let him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“What changed?” she asked, pulling away. “It was only a week.” He hesitated, thinking of the first night they were apart. “What is the look on your face?” she asked, suspiciously, pulling away from him.

“Mel, when we were apart...” he said, not meeting her eyes.

“You didn’t,” she said, sounding beyond hurt.

“It was the first night after I left here, I was so drunk – it was just the once,” he said earnestly. “It was a massive mistake.”

“Fuck you,” she said, her head in her hands. “I cannot believe you. The first chance you got – the first opportunity that it wouldn’t necessarily be considered cheating, you were sleeping with someone else, while I sat here, pregnant with your baby and crying over you.” She looked up at him, her eyes flashing. “Get out.”

“What – Mel, no. Please,” he said, moving to take her hand again.

“I said get out!” she shouted, and he helplessly stood from the couch, entering the Floo with despair.

George visited her a few days later.

“You look like shit,” he said, and she smiled.

“When Draco was here the other night – he told me that the night we decided to take a break, he slept with someone else,” Mel said. “So now I have no clue what to think or do. And I think it’s all of the stress, and probably just…pregnancy, I don’t know… but I feel awful. So it’s going well,” she said with a wry smile.

“You’re definitely winning in terms of misery now,” he said. “Malfoy is a bastard. This is low, even for him.”

“You know, for the past year and a half, I really thought he was not as bad as everyone said. He really had no one – he’s been completely alone for years, and he’s been put in some really bad situations, and he’s had no choice. But this…” she said, shaking her head. “This is a choice. And I know that no one really wants to be tied down to their pregnant girlfriend when there’s a whole world out there, but I really thought that he loved me. I just feel stupid.”

“It isn’t stupid to think that someone who loves you should choose you,” he said. “I’m just about the most miserable person on earth to be around right now – but my family doesn’t stop trying. Has he been reaching out?” Mel reached behind her and pulled out a stack of letters.

“Multiple times a day,” she said. “I haven’t opened any of them yet.”

“You don’t owe him a damn thing,” George said firmly. “But I think it might give you some clarity if you read them.”

“But…” she said, looking frustrated. “It’s so hard – I know those letters are probably filled with everything I want to hear. About how he loves me, and how he wants to be with me and raise the baby and be a family. I know if I read them that I’m going to want him back. But… he’s been terrible to me. Done things that should be unforgivable. Am I just sacrificing my dignity and self-respect if I take him back?”

“Maybe. But what’s more important – your dignity, or your happiness for the rest of your life?” he asked, and she groaned.

“You’re making too much sense. I wish I could read one now, but my head is spinning.”

“Do you think you should see a healer?” George asked, looking concerned.

“I’m sure it’s just regular pregnancy stuff, plus stress,” she said, but he could tell she was scared. “Now I feel silly for not opening those earlier.”

“I know this is personal,” George started, “But do you want me to – open it?” She looked at him, eager.

“Would you? I mean – you don’t have to, and this is so embarrassing…”

“Don’t worry about embarrassing. This stays between us,” he said. He pulled open the envelope, and glanced at the contents. “Mel,” he said finally, and softly. “You should definitely read this. It’s – yeah,” he said. “I’m going to go, because I think you’ll want some privacy.” Once he was gone, and Mel had opened a can of ginger ale - at least with Draco gone, she could stock the fridge with anything Muggle she wanted - she sat back on the couch with one of the letters.

‘When I was five, I told my father I loved him in front of a few of his friends. When they left that night, he hit me, and told me that I was far too old to be saying things like that – that emotions and love were for women, and that I needed to start acting like a man. After that, if there was any hint of emotion, of softness, or Merlin-forbid – femininity, he would beat me until I apologized. When I was ten, he started preparing me to go to Hogwarts, telling me that I was a Malfoy, and therefore superior to everyone else there. I put on a façade of a bully because it hid the fact that I felt so inadequate, because my father made me feel that way. My entire life has been a series of events trying to get him to respect me, to notice me. To love me. When you told me you were pregnant, I panicked because I am terrified of being the kind of father to our child that my father was to me. I’m still terrified – I don’t know how to do this, or how to be good at it. But I know that’s no excuse for the way I’ve acted, and that you’re exceptionally mad, for good reason. But I promise if you give me another chance, I’ll put in the work and the time to learn how to be a good parent, and a good partner to you. I’m so sorry, and I love you so much.’


	17. Reconciliation

For two weeks, Draco wrote to Mel, but she ignored him. Finally, she wrote him back.

‘Come to the cottage tonight at 6.’ He arrived right on time, and found her on the couch in a Weasley sweater, looking ill. She was as pale as he was, with deep, dark circles under her eyes. Draco could tell she’d lost weight too – her cheekbones were more pronounced than before.

“Mel – are you okay?” he asked, forgetting his previous concerns.

“I – haven’t been feeling great,” she admitted, pulling the blanket around herself. “I’m not sure if it’s the stress, or what.”

“We should take you to St. Mungo’s,” he said, arm on her shoulder. “You look like you could use a healer, love.” She didn’t move him away.

“I’m scared,” she said, looking up with him with tear-filled blue eyes. “What if there’s something wrong with the baby? Because I’ve been so stressed, and I probably haven’t been sleeping or eating enough – what if I’m hurting it?” He wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said soothingly. “Come on – have you eaten? Let’s eat, and then we’ll go.” He opened the cabinets.

“There’s some pasta in there. I’ll boil some water,” she said, starting to get up, but he stopped her.

“Hey, sit. I can manage.” After a bit, he brought her over a bowl, and they sat on the couch, eating in silence, legs intertwined.

“Thanks,” she said. “Look, I wanted you to come over because –“

“Let’s not talk about that right now, okay? Whatever it is, with us, it can wait until we make sure you’re okay.” She hesitated, but nodded.

“I’m going to get dressed,” she said, though she looked unsteady when she stood up.

“Mel – why didn’t you tell me this was going on?” he asked, quickly standing up to help her. “Come here,” he said, picking her up gingerly, carrying her upstairs. The bedroom – their bedroom – was plain, with just a king bed with a white comforter, and a wooden dresser.

“Can you pass me a pair of jeans?” she asked after he put her on the bed. She wiggled them up, pausing when she got to her waist. “Ugh, shoot. These don’t really fit.” He glanced over, feeling overwhelmed as he saw the distinctive curve of her lower abdomen. “Can you hand me my wand? Draco?” she said, noticing him staring.

“Sorry,” he said, and passed it over to her. She quickly extended the waistband and buttoned them.

“Okay – let’s go,” she said, and he carried her back down the stairs, and they got into the Floo. When they arrived at the check in desk, they quickly put them in a private room, due to the late hour, and while the witch at the front desk looked at Mel kindly, she glared at him.

“Doing any better?” he asked, though he knew the answer. She looked even paler in this light.

“Really nervous,” she said. A knock came at the door, and a healer entered the room.

“Hi there – so, what seems to be going on?” she asked.

“Well, I’m pregnant,” Mel said. The healer did a quick charm, and some notes appeared on a chart.

“Yes – about twelve weeks along, it looks like.”

“I’ve been feeling really sick for the past two weeks or so – really tired, nauseous, lightheaded,” she said, and the healer nodded.

“It does look like you’re underweight, and definitely lacking some color. Is there anything… going on? In your personal life?” She asked, glancing suspiciously at Draco.

“Just a lot of stress,” Mel said vaguely.

“Miss Stewart,” the healer said carefully. “Are you being hurt in any way?” Draco noticed that her wand was out – pointed at him.

“No – no,” Mel said firmly. “Not at all.” The healer nodded, putting the wand away, but keeping an eye on him nonetheless. The healer started to examine her, doing a few spells while her quill took notes.

“Well, the good news is that the baby is fine. Very healthy and strong, in fact,” she said, and Draco watched as Mel’s face flooded with relief. She even gripped his hand. He took it gently, rubbing the top softly with his thumb. “In fact, it seems to be the root of your problems. The baby’s magic is quite strong – abnormally so. It’s sapping your energy much quicker than it would normally. Now, this is very manageable, but you’ll need to keep up with care – coming back here every few weeks for some potions, a lot of rest and sleep and lowering your stress levels. It will just be a bit tougher on you, but you’ll both be fine,” she said, smiling at Mel. “I’ll get some of those potions for you now, and then you can be on your way.”

“Thank you so much,” Mel said, and the healer nodded.

“And please – don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any other… issues,” she said, glancing at Draco again before heading out. Once the door closed, Mel grabbed both of his hands in hers.

“I’m so relieved,” she said, and he wrapped his arms around her. “Although – what was going on with that? She nearly hexed you.”

“Just because the war is over doesn’t mean people forget,” Draco said darkly. An orderly came in with a tray full of potions, but nearly dropped them when he saw Draco.

“I didn’t think they let Death Eaters in here,” he said, and Mel was shocked. He placed the potions on the tray table. “Not that we should be helping you – but these three, one at a time.” He glared as he left the room.

“Do you think it’s safe?” Mel asked, fearful again. He nodded.

“They’re not going to do anything,” he said, and she slowly swallowed the potions. They waited as the color came back to her face.

“That’s so much better,” she said with relief.

“Good – let’s get out of here,” he said, taking her hand. They checked out and immediately returned home. He picked her up again, and carried her upstairs to bed.

“Hey – I’m fine. I can walk,” she protested.

“Just let me take care of you,” he said. “This is my fault, anyway.”

“Come here. Sit with me,” she said, and he sat beside her in bed, unsure what to do. “Drake,” she said, and he felt the knot in his stomach relax as he heard his nickname. He curled into bed with her, pulling her legs into his lap, and she stroked his hair. “I missed you so much.”

“I’m so sorry for these past few weeks,” he said suddenly, his eyes flooding with tears. “I am such an ass. The way I’ve acted – you should never forgive me.”

“You’re right,” she said. “You have been an ass. Fortunately for you, I have one weak spot – and that is you, Draco Malfoy. And despite everything, I love you.”

“I love you, too. I would be really, eternally grateful if you would take me back,” he said, his hand on her cheek. “I swear I will do everything in my power to make up for it. And – and to be a good father.”

“I know you will,” she said, and he let out a sob of pure relief as she kissed him. They curled together for the first time in a long time. “Draco – would you move back in here with me? It’s really lonely without you.”

“Of course. I should have never left,” he murmured. “I’ll get my things tomorrow, and after that I’m never leaving your side again, as long as I live.”

Things did not go back to normal right away. There was a lot of hurt that had happened, but Draco did his best to try to fix it. One thing Mel was firm on, though, was intimacy. There were kisses, of course – sometimes lots of kisses – but she cringed every time he tried to push it further, so he stopped.

“I just can’t stop thinking about you sleeping with someone else,” she said, after they lay in bed one night, cooling off.

“Are you ever going to be able to get over it?” he asked, clearly afraid.

“I think so,” she said, kissing him again. “I need some time.”

“I can wait,” he said. “I love you.”

“You know – now that you and I are on better terms, we should probably start telling people,” Mel said.

“I know. How do you feel about going to see my mother tomorrow?” He asked, and she agreed.

Narcissa was thrilled to see them, and they sat down to have tea.

“Mother, we have something to tell you,” Draco said, after they talked for a bit. “Mel’s pregnant – I know it might be a surprise, but –“

“That is wonderful news,” Narcissa said, looking delighted, and hugging Mel for the first time ever, albeit awkwardly. “How far along are you?”

“A little over three months,” she said, smiling a bit.

“You’re not mad?” Draco asked, surprised.

“I mean, it would have been ideal if you’d waited, obviously, but a baby is very exciting. So that will mean you’re due in December – that doesn’t give us much time to plan a wedding, but I’m sure we can figure something out,” she said, looking excited.

“Mother – we’re not getting married before the baby’s born,” he said finally.

“What do you mean? Of course you are,” Narcissa said dismissively. “You can’t have a Malfoy baby out of wedlock, Draco. You know that.”

“We’re just not ready to be married right now,” Draco said. “We’re going to, but later, on our own timeline,” he said, and Mel nodded.

“Well, you made that timeline shorter for yourselves when you decided to have premarital sex,” she said curtly, and Mel’s face burned red. “This is not proper – think of what our family would say? What’s the purpose of waiting, anyway?”

“We’re just – making sure our relationship is stronger before we think about something like that. We already have the baby to worry about,” Mel said, and Narcissa’s eyes narrowed, looking at Draco.

“Did something happen? You two have always been so… infatuated with one another. Did my son do something foolish?” Mel started to speak, but Draco cut her off.

“Yes, if you’re determined to pry, Mother. I did something stupid. We’re working through it.”

“Regardless,” Mel said firmly, “we weren’t ready to get married before that. And we’re certainly not now.” Narcissa looked positively furious.

“That is unacceptable, both of you. I – I cannot support my first grandchild being a bastard. I cannot,” she repeated.

“Mother…” Draco said. “This is very challenging. We don’t know the first thing about having or raising a baby, and you know that Mel’s parents… well, it’s just you. I’m asking you to support us. Please,” he said. She did not meet his eyes.

“I think you should go. You can come back when you’re ready to discuss fulfilling your responsibility to this family and that child,” she said.

“Mother…” Draco said, feeling desperate.

“Draco, let’s go,” Mel said quietly, taking his hand as they walked out. “I’m sorry,” she said, kissing his cheek once they were back home.

“I thought – I thought she was better than that,” he said finally.

“We’re going to figure it out. If it’s just us, then it’s just us. That’s all we need,” Mel said, and he kissed her.

But as much as she said it, it was harder to believe it. When they were dealing with parenting anxiety, or questions about childbirth, or even emotional support, there was nowhere to turn. Draco frequently felt at a loss for how to help Mel, who he could feel getting more and more nervous, with nowhere to turn. She hadn’t wanted to tell her friends after the disaster with his mother, and he couldn’t blame her. So he was extremely relieved when an owl arrived one day from Ginny and Hermione.

‘Mel, We were just talking to Harry and Ron, who – likely accidentally – told us that you were pregnant. Is that true? You know you can talk to us! G+H’. Mel looked pained as she wrote a response.

‘It’s true – I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you, but we’ve been dealing with a lot. You can come to Rose Cottage if you want to talk.’


	18. The Burrow

That afternoon, the sound of the Floo surprised them, and both Draco and Mel walked into their front hall to see Ginny and Hermione brushing themselves off.

“Mel,” Ginny said, hugging her more gingerly than normal. “Oh my god. I can’t believe you didn’t tell us,” she said, glancing at Mel’s stomach, which was too large to hide now. Mel shrugged, uncomfortably. She glanced at Draco, and he sensed her need for privacy, so he left to go upstairs with a quick smile.

“There was so much going on – between the war, and me and Draco, and there were more important things, honestly.”

“More important than you having a baby?” Hermione asked, and they sat down on the couch.

“I was also embarrassed, obviously,” she said, her cheeks red. “It was a stupid mistake, we were drunk – I didn’t want you to think less of me, honestly.”

“Why would we do that?” Ginny asked with a laugh. “You literally fought in the Battle of Hogwarts while pregnant. That’s pretty badass, Mel,” she said. Mel smiled, wiping away a few tears.

“Sorry, it’s the hormones – I cry constantly,” she said.

“Are you okay?” Hermione asked. “Is Draco okay?”

“We’re… fine,” she said. “It’s obviously not ideal. He was really upset and afraid when we found out, and I was too. It’s been better though, even though his Mum isn’t really speaking to us. She wants us to get married.”

“Are you not?” Ginny asked.

“I don’t want to just get married because of the baby. That’s the last thing I want,” she said. “Ending a marriage is a lot worse than ending a relationship. I can’t handle that.”

“Well, you’re not going to break up, are you?” Hermione asked.

“I don’t know,” Mel said, shrugging. “Things have been… delicate. You know that.”

“Well, we’re here for you. I promise,” Ginny said. “We’re getting so old – you having a baby and Hermione getting married. Look, we don’t want to intrude, so we’ll go soon. We just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I am, I promise,” she said.

“We’ll be back – next weekend? I’ll send you an owl,” Ginny said, and they disappeared into the Floo. Draco reappeared.

“How was that?”

“It was good,” she said, nodding. He gave her a soft kiss.

“Still tired?” he asked, and she nodded. “We should really go back to St. Mungo’s, Mel.”

“You saw the way they looked at us there,” she snapped. “Pretty sure they wanted to smother me on sight,” she said, placing a protective hand on her stomach. “They do not like you there, Draco – and that means they’re not going to be kind to this baby.”

“Maybe Ginny would go with you,” he said, feeling helpless. She nodded.

“I’ll ask this weekend. I promise.”

When they returned on Saturday morning, Ginny and Hermione weren’t alone.

“I couldn’t stop her,” Ginny said by way of apology as Mrs. Weasley appeared in their kitchen, carrying loads of bags filled with baby things.

“Melanie! You look lovely, my dear,” Mrs. Weasley said, not hesitating to wrap her in a hug, even though they’d met only a number of times. “I do hope I’m not intruding. But Ginny mentioned the baby to me, as well as your current situation – with you not having your mum around, and Draco’s mother…” she trailed off. “There’s some things that you can only talk to another mum about.” Mel stood frozen before bursting into tears, and giving Mrs. Weasley another hug.

“Thank you,” she said, and Mrs. Weasley gave Draco a sad smile. “I’m sorry for the tears – I can’t stop.”

“No need to apologize, love. Come – let me make you a cup of tea and we can talk. Draco, Ginny, Hermione – why don’t you take these things up to the baby’s room?” They nodded and climbed the stairs, leaving the two women downstairs. Once Draco had shown them down the hall, and they put the bags down, he surprised the two girls by wrapping them in a hug.

“Thanks,” he said quickly. “For everything – especially for bringing your mum, Ginny.”

“Um – yeah, of course,” Ginny said, caught off guard. “Mel just didn’t seem great when we saw her last week.”

“She’s not,” he said, sitting down on the bed nearby. “First of all, she’s been so worried about being a good mother, about us… about the future, that she’s not eating enough, always stressed. Then, when we went to St. Mungo’s for our checkup, they told us that the baby was “unusually powerful” – probably because Mel is. It just takes a bigger toll on her to carry a baby like that. They told her to come back for a few potions if she ever felt ill – but when we were there, everyone recognized me. Mel felt like it wasn’t… safe for her or the baby to even be there. And it’s my fault. All of this – the baby, my mother not talking to us – it’s my fault,” he finished miserably. The two girls exchanged glances, and Hermione slid down next to Draco on the bed.

“Well, that sounds like a lot of stress for you to be under, Draco,” Hermione said timidly.

“No – I’m fine, I’m only worried about her,” he protested.

“You both seem like you could use a little help,” Hermione said gently, and this time he didn’t protest. “You don’t have to do this all by yourself – there’s a whole household of people currently recovering from the war at the Burrow who would love nothing more than something positive – like a baby – to focus on. Ginny and I will take Mel to St. Mungo’s today. And you should rest while we’re gone. And then you should both come over for dinner at the Burrow.”

“Why are you doing this?” Draco asked quietly. “You both know I don’t deserve it.”

“Mel is our friend,” Ginny said. “You know that. And more than that – I’m pretty sure you saved all of our asses the past year or so. Just because we haven’t been friends in the past doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be now.”

“I’m sorry I was so horrible to both of you in school,” he said.

“We were all dealing with our own stuff. I think a clean slate is in order,” Hermione said, and he nodded.

“Thank you.” They were quiet for a moment, before Ginny stood.

“What do you say we unpack some of this stuff? The Weasley family has a ton of baby things to go around,” she said, and Draco nodded, opening boxes with her and Hermione.

“Feeling a bit better?” Mrs. Weasley asked, as they sat on the couch, sipping cups of tea.

“Yes, thank you. I’m so sorry for before – I’m really not like that,” Mel said, cheeks pink. “This situation has just been stressful.”

“Yes, Ginny did tell me you were a Slytherin – not too quick to show emotion, as I can understand it. But it’s natural to be worried – I was when I had my first baby, too. I wasn’t any older than you were when I had Bill – just nineteen.”

“Really?” Mel asked.

“Oh, yes. And he wasn’t planned, either. Arthur and I had just graduated and gotten married, and we weren’t prepared at all. But we figured it out, and you will too,” she said kindly.

“I just feel like I’ve royally messed everything up,” Mel said. “Like I’m not going to be a good mother, like this is putting too much pressure on my relationship with Draco,” she said, biting her lip.

“If you’re worried about it, that’s a sure sign that you’ll be an excellent mother. And as for Draco,” she said, “I can tell that he really cares about you, dear. He’s probably even more nervous than you are. It doesn’t come as naturally to men. But he’s looking for ways to help – he just doesn’t know how. I think you two will be just fine,” she said with a smile. But her face turned more serious. “Beyond that, I can’t help but notice that you don’t look well, Melanie.”

“It’s the baby – its magic is strong. They told me that makes the pregnancy more difficult,” she said, and Mrs. Weasley nodded.

“What did they suggest you do?”

“Go back. Take a few potions, see a healer,” she said. “But the last time we were there – I got a bad feeling about the way they were looking at Draco. I didn’t feel… safe,” she said.

“Well, we’re going to solve that,” Ginny said, bounding down the stairs with a grin. “We’re going to take you, Mel. Me and Hermione.”

“Oh, you don’t have to –“

“Stop – of course we do. And then you and Draco are coming to dinner. He’s already agreed,” Ginny said, and he nodded holding his hands up in defeat.

“Okay,” she said. “Just let me get ready,” she said, and Draco helped her up from the couch. “Mrs. Weasley – thank you so much,” she said, hugging her again.

“You’re quite welcome, my dear. And Melanie – Draco?” she said, smiling at them. “I don’t know if anyone has even said this to you… but congratulations. You’re having a baby – and a baby born to two people who love each other is always something to celebrate,” she said, and both Mel and Draco smiled, Draco slipping his arm around Mel. “Well, I’ll see you both tonight for dinner,” she said, popping out.

Later that evening, Draco entered the Floo at the Weasleys, and Molly rushed over to greet him.

“Did you sort your way through the baby things?” she asked, brushing off his cloak.

“I did, thank you. We hadn’t really thought that far in advance, so I really appreciate it,” he said, and she looked pleased.

“Of course. Come in – the girls aren’t back yet, but the boys are inside playing chess.”

“Hey Malfoy,” Harry said in greeting as he walked into the living room. Both he and Ron stared at him, looking nervous.

“Why do both of you look like I’m going to hex you?” Draco asked, confused.

“It was us,” Ron blurted. “We told Hermione and Ginny about the baby – it was an accident, I swear. We thought that Mel would have told them by now, and you told us back at the Manor in April… it just slipped out.” They looked extremely apologetic.

“You shouldn’t apologize – to be honest, I could kiss you, Weasley. Mel was hell bent on keeping this a secret for a little longer, but the two of us have no idea what we’re doing. Mel’s parents obviously aren’t around, and my Mother isn’t really talking to us because of the baby…” he said, knowing he was rambling but not caring. “And then your mother showed up at the house like a goddamn angel. So… not mad.”

“Blimey, Malfoy. That sounds like… a lot,” Harry said. “Do you want a drink?”

“I shouldn’t – Mel will be here soon,” he said.

“You don’t have to become a monk. Just a dad,” Harry said, and Draco nodded.

“Yeah, okay.”

The boys were chatting more or less civilly when they heard the Floo, and Mel, Ginny and Hermione came into the room, joining them. Mel looked significantly better, her coloring back to normal, a smile on her face.

“Merlin, you look so much better,” he said with relief. Ginny and Hermione looked pleased as they saw Draco’s mood improve significantly.

“That’s what every girl wants to hear from her boyfriend when she comes in,” Mel said, teasing him with a smile.

“I can’t believe you guys are going to be parents,” Ron said, not being able to help his stares. “Do you think it will look just like Malfoy? Do you think it will act just like Malfoy?”

“Hopefully not,” Draco said dryly, and Ron even managed a laugh.

“You can be funny, you know that?”

“Thank you ever so much for noticing. I can’t believe you managed to convince Granger to marry you,” he replied.

“Agreed,” Ginny said, ducking into the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of champagne and six glasses, filling one of them with water for Mel. “We’re celebrating two things tonight – that Hermione has somehow agreed to marry my brother, and that Mel and Draco are having probably the most attractive baby on earth,” Ginny said, raising a glass. They grinned and smiled, clinking the glasses together.

“A visitor for you,” a familiar voice said, and Draco recognized his Aunt Andromeda entering the room with a chubby baby – Teddy, he recalled – who she handed to Harry. He’d met Andromeda only once, and very recently – at the funeral. But she walked over to him and warmly gave him a hug. “Draco! What a lovely surprise to see you here.”

“Hi,” he said, returning the hug.

“And Melanie, I remember meeting you as well – although it appears we have an exciting development,” she said, eyes twinkling. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” Draco said, enjoying how it felt to be around people who were actually excited for he and Mel.

“Teddy will be thrilled,” she said, and they glimpsed at the laughing baby, who was sitting now on Harry’s lap. “I can’t stay, I’m afraid – I’m meeting up with an old friend from school. But it was lovely to see you, dear. Tell your mother I said hello.”

“I – we’re not really speaking at the moment,” he said, unconsciously glancing at Mel.

“So stubborn, my sister,” she said, looking sad. “I hope she comes around,” she said, touching his shoulder before walking out of the room. Draco turned to Mel, finally getting a moment to himself with the rest of the group occupied with Teddy.

“Feeling better?”

“Loads,” she said, kissing him. “You look better, too.”

“It feels nice,” he said, gesturing to the room. “To be happy about it.” She smiled, eyes looking wet – tears never far away these days.

“I know. I’m really, really happy,” Mel said, and he grinned as he looked at her pink cheeks, knowing it was true. He wrapped her in a kiss again.

“Hey – knock it off, Mum and Dad! That’s going to be very embarrassing for your child in about ten years,” Ginny said, grinning.

When they returned home that night, it felt less lonely. They lay on the couch, kissing, before Draco gently pulled away.

“Hey – don’t stop,” she said, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“I’m sure – I feel better than I have in months, honestly. And I miss you. I miss my boyfriend,” Mel said, kissing him again, and this time he obliged. They returned to their bedroom, where they slept together for the first time in four months, since Mel found out she was pregnant.

“God, I missed you so much,” he said afterward, burying his face in her neck.

“I did too. I’m sorry things have been so hard recently,” she said, and he stared at her.

“You’re sorry? This entire situation is my fault,” he said, looking dismayed.

“Well, I’m starting to think this… situation is a good thing,” Mel said, putting his hands on her stomach and kissing him. “Draco… at St. Mungo’s today – it’s a girl. We’re having a girl.” He felt a rush of emotion and felt himself tearing up. “Hey – don’t get all soft on me. I’ve been crying way more than is acceptable for a Slytherin household.”

“A girl. Wow,” he repeated, kissing her. “Mel, I love you so much. We’re going to be just fine, okay?”

“Promise?” she asked, biting her lip a bit.

“I promise.” He leaned back against the pillows, one hand behind his head, the other still on Mel’s stomach. “A girl,” he mused. “I hope she looks exactly like you.”

“I don’t know – you’re rather pretty. I think your features would look quite nice on a girl,” Mel said, making Draco laugh.

“I certainly hope that she acts like you, then. I was insufferable as a child, honestly. Constantly getting into trouble, whiny, the whole lot.”

“That means you’re destined to end up with one like you,” Mel said with a smile.


	19. Elizabeth

With the help of their friends, the next few months were easier than the first. Mel and Draco were frequently at the Burrow – or their friends came to them. They’d taken to actually decorating and furnishing the cottage and the nursery, which made them both feel better. The pregnancy had brought them even closer to the entire Weasley family – and Draco, Ron and Harry had even formed something of a friendship, and were slowing shifting to first name usage. In late November, Ginny and Hermione threw Mel a baby shower at the cottage, and had gotten there hours early to decorate.

“Are you excited?” Draco asked, giving Mel a kiss as he helped her with a necklace. She nodded and he looked at her with such love in his eyes that she grinned.

“You’re excited, clearly.”

“I’m excited for our baby. For our daughter,” he said, giving her a long kiss. “Come on – let’s go downstairs to see what they’ve done to our home.” Mel, of course, burst into tears when she saw the living room, decorated in pink.

“Stop crying, you sap,” Ginny said, giving her a hug.

“I can’t. It’s too cute,” she said. They heard a knock at the door. “I’ll get it – probably Pansy.” Instead, she stood face to face with Narcissa Malfoy, looking nervously at her from the front door.

“Hello Melanie,” she said softly, and Mel was shocked. They hadn’t spoken to her in months – though Mel had sent her an invitation to the baby shower, to be polite.

“Narcissa – hi,” she said, catching herself. “Um – please, come in,” she said, and turned back into the cottage. She locked eyes with Draco, who looked equally shocked.

“Mother – what are you doing here?” Draco asked, staring openly.

“Well, Melanie sent me an invitation, and I thought we could maybe talk,” she said. “All three of us,” she said, as Mel moved to leave the kitchen.

“Sure – let’s sit though, if you don’t mind,” she said, and they sat at the kitchen table, Draco conjuring up some tea and three mugs.

“How are you feeling, Melanie?” she asked, her eyes glued to her.

“Pretty good – ready for the baby to arrive,” she said.

“Mother – sorry to avoid the pleasantries, but would you mind letting me know what you’re doing here? We haven’t heard from you in months,” Draco said tightly. Narcissa hesitated.

“I spoke to Andromeda. She said she saw you, that you both looked well… she told me I should reach out. Even if you won’t consider getting married.”

“Not right now,” Draco said, feeling frustrated. “If that’s what you came here to convince us of, then I’m going to decline – this is supposed to be a fun day for Mel, and not stressful.”

“No, that’s not why I’m here. I’m here… to apologize. To make amends. I don’t want to miss out on my first grandchild’s birth because we have a difference of opinion,” she said.

“You can’t just make amends – you have no idea how challenging the past few months have been. We needed you,” Draco said, and Mel squeezed his hand under the table. “We’re nervous, you know.”

“I know,” Narcissa said, and she paused – Malfoys didn’t really grovel. “I just want to be part of your lives. Badly,” she said. Draco started to say something, but Mel interrupted him.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here, Narcissa,” she said, and Narcissa looked exceptionally grateful. Suddenly, the Floo activated again, and Andromeda and Teddy appeared in the kitchen. She passed Mel a gift and gave her a hug in greeting.

“Hi Cissy,” she said, and Narcissa smiled sheepishly. Draco took Teddy, and the two went to sit on the couch together to catch up.

“You’re too good to her, Mel,” Draco said.

“Just no fighting today,” she said, smiling, holding Teddy’s hand. “Besides, the sight of you with this baby is making me want to have another one immediately.”

“One at a time!” Draco said with a laugh, and, seeing Harry enter the kitchen through the Floo, handing him off to his godfather. “Help me, Potter, and take him before we end up with two of these before we’re twenty.” Mrs. Weasley had arrived with them, and Mel and Draco both greeted her with hugs and kisses.

“Oh, you two,” Mrs. Weasley said, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief. “I am so proud of you! Look at you, look at this home you’ve created here. You’ve done brilliantly.” Mel started to cry again, and she wrapped her up, while giving Draco’s hand a squeeze. They exchanged a look and Draco felt immensely grateful to her. 

“Oh Draco – your mother,” she said, noticing Narcissa.

“She showed up today. Not sure what’s going on, but…” he said, shrugging. “We can deal with that in time.”

A few weeks later, when Mel started having contractions, it was Molly and Ginny who he had immediately called after the midwife. After talking it over with Mel, he called his mother, too. They arrived at the house, where Mel was having the baby due to her fears of St. Mungo’s. Mrs. Weasley fussed over her, pulling her hair back into a braid, sitting with her on the couch. While Ginny went home at night, both his mother and Mrs. Weasley stayed in the living room, waiting downstairs for any news. Draco felt solid at the beginning of the day – sitting with Mel, holding her hand, getting her whatever she needed – but as the night wore on and she was clearly in more and more pain, he started to panic.

“I’m just going to get some air. Be right back,” he managed, dropping Mel’s hand and stealing out of the room. As he descended the stairs, both women stood up. “No changes yet. Just… taking a quick breather.”

“Well, take a quick minute, but you shouldn’t leave her alone for too long,” Molly said, her voice soft.

“I know – it’s just intense, and stressful. Just need a few.” He moved to open the door to the backyard, but felt Molly’s hand on his wrist, gripping him firmly.

“Draco Malfoy,” she said, her eyes intense, her voice no longer soft. “It is intense, and it is stressful. But Melanie is up there going through it. She can’t just take a break. You have already put her through enough these past nine months, and she has been steadfast throughout the whole thing. So you are going to get back up there, and hold her hand, and do whatever else she needs. And you are not going to leave her alone.” He stood frozen, before nodding.

“Yes ma’am,” he said quietly, and walked back upstairs. When he returned, he took a moment to see Mel for how she really was – although she had been putting on a brave front, he could tell she was terrified and in pain. Some of her hair had come loose, and a few strands were stuck to her damp forehead. He was struck by how young she looked – her big eyes were filled with uncertainty and he felt bad for leaving her for even one moment. He reached up to her forehead and smoothed her hair back, and she leaned into him, so that her head was resting in his hand.

“I thought I had lost you for a second there,” she said, attempting to be lighthearted. “You looked a bit pale.”

“What? No, I’m fine. I’m here,” he said, kissing the top of her head. He pulled her hair out of its braid, and tied it back again for her.

“Thanks Drake,” she said tiredly. She leaned her head against his body, and he stood there, stroking her hair. “I’m so tired.”

“I know love, but you’re doing amazing. Seriously, we’ll have our baby girl before we know it.” She gripped his hand as another contraction came, and she merely whimpered as he held her tight. She looked up at him, eyes teary.

“I wish my Mom was here,” she said, as the tears escaped and ran down her face. “I don’t want to do this alone.”

“You’re not alone,” he said firmly. “I’m here with you – for whatever you need. We’re almost there.”

And when the baby was born around 3AM, it was Molly who Mel wanted to see her first. She let Narcissa in afterward, keeping a protective eye over the child while Narcissa cradled her. They named her Elizabeth Louise, after Mel’s mum, and Draco could scarcely tear his eyes away from her.

They had more visitors later in the week, and the rest of the group came to meet Elizabeth – or Lizzie, as Mel decided she should be called.

“She really is the most gorgeous baby I have ever seen,” Ginny said, taking her turn cradling the baby. “Who knew you could create something so cute, Malfoy?”

“Yeah, who knew,” he mused, not even desiring to fight back.

“Congrats mate,” Harry said, as he, Ron and Draco stood out in the yard, which was as far as Draco planned on being from Lizzie and Mel for the foreseeable future. “What does it feel like?”

“Terrifying,” he said, with a glance back into the house. “I barely want to let them out of my sight. But I also feel like I’m going to break her? She’s just so… tiny.”

“I reckon you’ll do alright,” Ron said, and Draco looked bemused.

“I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Ronald.”

“It’s the baby – she’s making me soft.”

“You’re not the only one,” Draco said. “Every night since Lizzie was born, I’ve asked Mel to marry me. She doesn’t want to right now, and of course I know that. But I can’t help it.” Harry laughed.

“I only wish my bird didn’t want a wedding. It’s all dress robes and lace and decorations,” Ron moaned.

“Oh, I think you can manage,” Harry said. “Hermione never makes you do anything like that. Once in your life won’t kill you.”

“It might,” he said. Draco’s fidgeting became too much, and they headed back inside, where Ginny and Hermione were preparing to go. He picked Lizzie back up from the bassinet that had been Teddy’s, kissing both of her fat cheeks.

“Let’s head out before the baby fever sets in,” Harry said, helping Ginny with her coat.

“Far, far too late,” Hermione replied, making Ron go white as they stepped into the Floo.

“I finally have you both to myself again,” Draco said, giving Mel a long kiss. She sat perched in the armchair, a book always nearby, and Lizzie’s bassinet right next to her. “I missed you too much.” He slid in beside her, holding both Mel and Lizzie in his lap. It was perfect. “Mel,” he said, kissing her cheek. “Would you please, please marry me?” She rolled her eyes.

“Look at this perfect baby that we have somehow created. She is perfect,” Mel said, lovingly holding her tiny hand. “Let’s focus on not messing this up. And I will marry you… eventually,” she said, as Draco groaned.

“I know. I just can’t help it. I look at her, and I just… love you.”

“The feeling is mutual,” she said, kissing his nose and then his lips.

Things changed dramatically after Lizzie was born. The issues that they’d had – feeling unsure about their future, Draco’s inability to commit – vanished within the first few weeks of her life. Draco was entranced by the little girl that shared his last name and his light gray eyes. He spent every waking moment watching her grow, holding her, loving her. This included the love he felt for Mel – Mel, who he had put through hell for the past nine months, only for her to reward him with this perfect child. He had never felt so strongly for someone in his life. And as the weeks went on, and Draco’s love for the two of them only grew, Mel became more comfortable with him, too. It was almost as if they’d returned to the stage at the very beginning of their relationship – before the war, before the baby – when they were the only two people in the world who understood one another. Draco didn’t know what the future held for them. The only thing he did know that it was he and Mel, together no matter what. And right now, that felt like enough.


	20. Eighth

That August, after their first magical summer with Lizzie that including sitting in the grass, in the sand, in the sun, Draco and Mel received an owl from Professor McGonagall inviting them to Hogwarts. They accepted, wanting to see the renovations. The damage done in the Battle of Hogwarts was immense, and it had taken an entire year to repair not only the physical, but emotional damage that was there. It was the first time in its history that Hogwarts did not open for magical students. But in a few weeks, students would flood the gates once more – including Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and more, who needed their final year and their NEWTS before taking on the prestigious jobs they had waiting for them.

“Welcome back,” Professor McGonagall said warmly, as they Flooed into her office. “Ginny Weasley was right. I do think that is the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen.” It was true, Draco thought lovingly, cradling Lizzie in his arms. She had a tiny dusting of dark hair – Mel’s color, and his pale gray eyes, which seemed to twinkle. “Being parents suits the two of you.”

“Thanks Professor. The castle looks great,” Mel said, peering around the office, which had been restored to its former glory. McGonagall, however, still had her eyes on Lizzie.

“How has the summer been with this little one?” she asked, and Draco was surprised at the level of softness in her voice.

“It’s been the best summer of our lives,” he said, smiling at her. “Would you like to hold her, Professor?”

“I think I would,” she said, and Draco gingerly handed her over the desk. Lizzie settled immediately, blinking up at McGonagall, who looked immensely satisfied.

“Now, for the matter at hand,” she said. “I did notice that both of you won’t be returning for your final year here, and I wanted to ask you why.”

“Well, you’re holding her, Professor,” Mel said. “I mean – I want to finish my education – badly, honestly – but she’s so little, and neither of us can bear to be away from her for that long. I offered to stay home with her so Draco could come, but he doesn’t want to be away from her, either.”

“You could live at home, and Floo here every day,” McGonagall offered, and Draco shook his head.

“We thought about it. With the time classes are at, and all of the back and forth… it’s still too much time away from her. Maybe we’ll be able to finish eventually, but not right now.”

“Well, I figured as much, the way you two look at this sweet child. Come with me,” McGonagall said, handing Lizzie back to Draco and rising from the desk. They walked through the Great Hall, where it looked and felt like nothing had ever happened, though Mel and Draco both froze visibly. “It’s a jarring experience to be back, I know,” she said softly. They walked to a far part of the castle, where they’d never been before. “The Ivory Tower,” McGonagall explained. “We’d kept it hidden since it was so old, and unnecessary, but when we were doing the Restoration I figured we should fix it up – knowing there would be some use for it,” she said, looking at Lizzie with a smile again. They entered a wing with numbered doors on each side. “Now, witches and wizards originally were married at seventeen, when they came of age. As you can imagine, some of our seventh years needed a bit more privacy. Nowadays, it’s less traditional, but I know there are some circumstances when a family like your own might want to stay together. Mr. Potter suggested it, in fact, when he was helping us with the renovations.” She opened a door on the right, and suddenly they stood in a beautiful apartment, built into the stone of the building. It was warm and cozy, and was set up mostly as a studio – there was a large, four poster bed on one side, and a common area next to it. A small kitchen was in the middle, and two doors were on the other side. McGonagall opened one to show a bathroom, and the other was a smaller side room. “Now, right now there’s one baby’s room – I do hope you’re not planning on having any others until you finish school, although this one is delightful.”

“That won’t be happening again for a long time,” Draco snorted, while Mel looked confused.

“Professor, I’m sorry – what is going on?”

“I want the three of you to move here for the school year, Miss Stewart, so you and Mr. Malfoy can finish your education without being away from your child. We’ll furnish it however you like – we have a Floo inside, which you can pre-program to take you to a few destinations.”

“But – what about during class, Lizzie…”

“Will be cared for by one of our best house elves, who has raised dozens of children before,” McGonagall said smoothly. Mel looked at Draco, who smiled.

“What do you think, Mel?”

“I don’t know… this seems like a lot of trouble for you, Professor. I don’t know what to say.”

“You are an exceptionally bright witch. It would be a shame for you to not finish your time here. And I couldn’t bear to tear that baby away from Mr. Malfoy,” she said, who smiled back at her. “I do hope you’ll say yes.”

“Do you want to?” she asked, looking over at Draco.

“Of course I do,” he said, kissing Lizzie’s cheek.

“Okay,” she agreed, nodding, and Professor McGonagall smiled.

“Excellent. Let’s sit down and discuss a few details, yes? Now, for your Floo – where should we link it up to? Just a handful of destinations would be best.”

“Our home – Rose Cottage. And Malfoy Manor, and the Burrow. St. Mungo’s,” she added, glancing at Lizzie. “And perhaps Diagon Alley? So we can pick up baby supplies as needed? She’s growing like a weed,” she said, with a soft smile.

“Yes, that will do nicely. And furnishings?” They talked it over, while Draco stood with Lizzie, looking out the window at the grounds, thinking how this would be a lovely place for his daughter to live for a year.

“Professor? Any way we can have some… security measures? There are still many people that are not so fond of Draco and his family after the war,” Mel said softly, but Draco still heard them. “I worry about leaving her if we’re at class.”

“Of course. We’ll allow only approved persons through the door – and we’ll have a concealment breaker, as well.” Mel looked relieved. “Well, I don’t want to keep you – I’m sure you’ll have packing to do. And welcome back,” she repeated with a smile.

The night of the welcome feast, Draco nearly had to peel Mel away from Lizzie, after she had gone over instructions with the very sweet house elf a thousand times.

“Love, I was raised by a house elf, and I turned out fine. Mostly.”

“That’s not comforting,” she groaned. “Maybe I’ll stay – just for tonight.”

“This is good practice. We’ll only be there for an hour, love. It will be okay.” Mel slid miserably into the Slytherin table, leaning her head on Pansy’s shoulder.

“It’s just an hour, Mel,” Pansy said, echoing Draco’s sentiments. McGonagall gave the opening speech, and they all began to eat – Draco noticing how good it felt to be back at school, with Pansy, Blaise and Theo, sitting at their own table, though it was mostly empty. They were the only ones from their class to come back, and there were significantly fewer Slytherin first years than in the past. No one wanted to be associated.

“Where are you staying? I know you’re not in the dorms.”

“A separate apartment, with Lizzie. You can come over tomorrow – it’s quite nice,” Draco replied. Mel pushed at the food on her plate, darting out at the first acceptable moment to go back to see their baby. He sighed.

“It’s going to take some getting used to, Draco. It’s okay,” Pansy said softly.

“Maybe coming here was a mistake,” he said, running his hands through his hair. “I should get back.” He hesitated, deciding to stop by the Gryffindor table first. He slid in next to Harry, who looked only slightly surprised.

“Hey Draco,” he said, both he and Ron still eating, to the disgust of Ginny and Hermione.

“Hey – sorry to intrude, I just came over to say thanks. For the apartment situation,” he said.

“You’re not intruding. And that was partly selfish as well – Ron and Hermione and Ginny and I each have one, too. Guess we’re neighbors,” he said, grinning.

“How on earth did you manage that?”

“Even McGonagall wasn’t going to keep a newly married and newly engaged couple apart,” Ron said, smiling. Draco saw the flash of diamond on both Ginny and Hermione’s hands that always made him jealous. Hermione, always noticing, gave him a kind smile and changed the subject.

“Where’s Mel, Draco?” she asked, and he sighed.

“She left – she’s having a hard time leaving Lizzie,” he admitted.

“Well, let’s go back and see her, shall we? I want to see your apartment.” Dragging Ron and Harry with them, they departed to the Ivory Tower, where they entered the apartment. Mel was on the bed with Lizzie, who was lying on her stomach, gurgling.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” she said, greeting them all.

“We missed you at the feast!”

“Well, how could you leave this face?” Mel asked, gently stroking Lizzie’s hair.

“Blimey, your apartment is double the size of ours!” Ron said, complaining. “McGonagall,” he grumbled.

“We have a baby, Ronald,” Draco drawled. “And she’s very cute, and great for negotiation purposes.” Ron rolled his eyes. They popped into Harry and Ginny and Ron and Hermione’s apartments as well, which were more or less the same, before all saying goodnight. Mel and Draco gave Lizzie her bath, before putting her down for the night. Mel performed a wandless silencing charm, to ensure they wouldn’t wake up Lizzie but could still hear her if she cried. Draco looked at Mel, who was wiping off the counter, and considered saying something to her about leaving Lizzie, but stopped. “Hey – come here,” he said, wrapping his arms around Mel’s waist. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah – it’s just strange to be back here. Especially with her. It feels… selfish, I don’t know. Like we’re off having fun, at the feast, leaving our daughter alone.”

“This isn’t selfish. You know we both need to finish in order to get jobs after this. And you’re not just a parent, Mel. You’re still yourself.” He pulled her close, kissing her deeply and pressing her against the cabinets. She grinned.

“Dying to break in the new bed?” she asked, as he kissed her neck.

“And the countertops, and the shower, and the floor…” he said, unbuttoning his shirt before she took over. He tried to move to the bed, but she stopped him – preferring to stay in their new kitchen, instead. She moved swiftly, swapping places with him so that he was pressed up against the countertop, before unzipping his hands and getting down on her knees. “Merlin, Mel…” he said, gasping. He moaned as she hummed, running her fingers along his thighs. “You have to stop, or this is going to be a very quick jaunt.” She ignored him for a while longer, moving painfully slowly. “Mel – Mel,” he said urgently, and she pulled away, grinning. He pressed her to the floor, quickly removing her clothes, discarding them quickly as he leaned into her with need.

“Draco,” she said, and by now he knew what that meant, without words. He eased himself into her and she cried out, and Draco was glad for the silencing charm that would keep them from waking up Lizzie. He lasted just barely until Mel cried out, before allowing himself to tip over the edge, sliding down next to her on the ground.

“I love you,” he murmured, and she rolled on top of him, kissing his lips. “Will you marry me?” She grinned, but rolled her eyes.

“Right after we’ve had sex? That’s not very romantic,” she said, ignoring the question. “Although – it was very good sex.”

“Does that mean yes?”

“In a few years,” she said dismissively, while he groaned. “What’s the rush?”

“Why wait?” he countered.

“We have so much happening right now. You know this. We’ve talked about this,” she said.

“I know, I know. I just…” he said, struggling to get the words out. “I’m jealous, okay? Of Ron and Hermione, Harry and Ginny. I want you to be my wife.”

“Draco,” she said, softening, and looking into his eyes in a way that made him know she could see his thoughts. “You know that you’re the love of my life, and that there is nothing more important to me than you and Liz. I don’t want you to feel like I don’t love you, or that I’m unsure – because I’m not. I couldn’t adore you more. I just want us to be able to enjoy every part of our life – not just worry about rushing to the next one. Right now, we have a new baby, we’re learning to be parents, we’re going back to school – we’re figuring out how to deal with your mother,” she said, making him smile. “To me, that’s what we should be focusing on. But if this is something that’s really important to you right now – then we can get married,” she said, and he looked surprised.

“You really mean that?”

“Of course I do, Drake. You’re my whole world, honestly. There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do for you.”

“Let’s wait,” he heard himself say, before he even really knew why. “You’re right – this isn’t quite the right time. I want it to be right.” He paused, Mel’s lips on his. “You are going to say yes eventually, right?”

“Yes, you dolt,” she said, making him laugh. They got up off the floor, Mel peeking in to see if Lizzie was okay, before they curled up under the sheets together.

“I’m going to keep asking, you know,” he said sleepily, and Mel kissed his cheek.

“I’d expect nothing less.”


End file.
